Okay, let's take another look
at John chapter 13 and consider this subject of feet washing. Feet washing. I'm entitling the
message from the words the Lord Jesus speaks in verse 17. If you know these things, happy,
blessed are you if you do them. If you do them. There is great
joy in believing the gospel. We do rejoice in Him and have
no confidence in the flesh. There is great joy in believing
the gospel. There is great joy in loving
the Lord Jesus Christ. But there is also great joy in
obeying the Lord and serving Him. It's a delight. It's a delight. Like the bondservant of old,
when he has served his years in slavery, when he was allowed
to be set free on the seventh year, if he loved his master,
he could stay and willingly serve. And God's people are willing,
loving bondservants unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I just
thought of a story a moment ago, sitting there. It came to my
mind, if I can use it for illustration here, I think it might help us
to understand the joy of servitude, the joy of serving the Lord,
and we do that by serving one another. I read years ago in
a sermon somewhere, someone gave this illustration about two angels. The Lord had two things for two
angels to do. Down here on this planet we call
Earth, One, he said, I need one to go and rule over this mighty
nation, whatever it might be. And the other, I need to go in
that same nation and just be a street cleaner. The angel said,
well, to serve you in any capacity, whether it be president or peon,
it doesn't matter just as long as we're serving the Lord. And
that's the way it is with the believer. What a joy, delight
to believe Him, to love Him, and to serve Him by serving His
people, serving one another. There is a delight in serving
the Lord. As the prophet Samuel said to
Saul, King Saul, who was disobedient unto the Lord, He said to him,
to obey is better, to obey the Lord is better than to bring
any kind of sacrificial work before God, to obey Him, to believe
His Word. Now in this chapter we see the
Lord of glory in great humility. Now this is God. We're talking
about Almighty God. in great humility, in lowliness,
being manifest in the flesh as a God-man mediator, and stooping
now, taking off his outer garment, stooping and washing the disciples'
feet. As I said in the message last
week, the Lord here is demonstrating the fact that we are guilty sinners
and that the Lord came to cleanse us with His blood as He came
to put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He stooped so low,
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. We see
the fact of our cleansing, the need of our cleansing with His
blood, don't we? Lord, cleanse me. Peter says
to him, when he stooped and started washing the disciples' feet,
and Peter, observing this sight, said to the Lord in verse 8,
You'll never wash my feet. To which the Lord calmly and
boldly and plainly answered, Peter, if I don't cleanse you,
justify you, make you a new creature in Christ Jesus, you don't have
any part in salvation. You have no part with me. He
is salvation. Salvation in a person the Lord
Jesus Christ the witch Peter says Realizing his need of the
Lord cleansing his soul and to wash him through and through
Says in verse 9 Lord not my feet only but I'm dirty all over I
have a dirty mind I have dirty hands. I have a dirty... I'm
just a dirty old man. That's what he's saying. I'm
just a dirty old... Lord, cleanse me all over. I
need cleansing. And the Lord said, you're clean. I've washed you. You're clean,
ever wet clean. You see verse 10? You're clean,
ever wet. The blood of Christ cleanses,
continually cleanses us from all our sin. David prayed this way in Psalm
51, you remember? Wash me throughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. Wash
me, and I shall be whiter than the snow. That's what we need,
isn't it? Lord, wash me. Wash me. I'm dirty. I'm guilty. I'm vile. I'm wretched. Lord, wash me. Wash me. Now look
at the last part of verse 10, and the first part of verse 11,
the Lord said, but you're not all clean. Referring to the betrayer,
Judas, for he knew, the Lord knew, who should betray him. Therefore he said, you're not
all clean. Although the Lord had outwardly
washed the feet of Judas, Yet he did no inward work of regenerating
grace upon his heart. Judas, having his feet washed
by the Lord, did not change his attitude, his hatred toward God,
or his plan and motive to sell the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. Now think about this. He thought
more of 30 pieces of silver that he did it of the master. You
know why? Turn back to John chapter 12.
You remember when Mary brought that costly pound of ointment
and anointed the feet of the Lord Jesus and began to wipe
his feet with her hair? And then in verse 4, then says
one of the disciples, it was Judas, Ascariot which should
betray him why was not this ointment sold for 300 pence and given
to the poor You wasting that on the Lord you see something
of that man's character Don't you look at verse 6 for John
12 verse 6 this he said not that he cared for the poor But because
he was a thief and had the bag and bear what was therein. He
was a thief. He thought more of his 30 pieces
of silver than he did for the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sold him out. This teaches us
again that salvation is not just some outward act. Some outward washing, some outward
ceremony, but rather salvation is a powerful working of the
Spirit of God upon our hearts. Judas was never convicted, never
converted. Never loved, he loved his own
until the end. He was never loved of the Lord
Jesus Christ. You see, salvation is a heart
work. The Lord knew this man's heart. He knew Judas had no real
faith in him. As it says in verse 11, look
down at verse 18, he said, I speak not of you all, for I know whom
I have chosen, but that the Scripture might be fulfilled. This is from
Psalm 41. That he that eateth bread with
me hath lifted up his heel against me. And that's what Judas did,
like a wild ass, he kicked the Lord Jesus Christ right in the
face. He lifted up his heel against
me. Now I tell you before it comes
to pass, that when it is come to pass, you may know that..."
Again, he's demonstrating his deity, that I am that I am. You see, the Lord knew Judas'
heart. We just studied a message Wednesday
night from 1 Samuel 16, where we read there that the Lord told
Samuel, God looks on the heart, not the outward. God looks inwardly. Our Lord said of those Pharisees
speaking of their heart. Let's turn and read this. I quote
it all the time, but maybe you want to mark it. Turn back to
Luke 16, 15. Luke 16, 15. These Pharisees
were covetous men. Luke 16 14 the Pharisees also
who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him Luke
16 15 and he said to them you are they would justify yourself
before men but God knows your heart he knows well that was
his highly esteemed among men is nothing but an abomination
in the sight of Almighty God so The Lord knew all about Judas. He knew what was on his heart.
He knew that he was going to betray him. This was decreed
from all eternity and was well known unto the Lord. When he
chose him, he said in John 6, I've chosen you, 12, and one
of you, the devil. This just didn't sneak up on
the Lord. It was ordained of God. Now, I want us to take a
good look at verse 12 down through verse 17 of John 13. Verse 12 down through verse 17,
so after he'd washed their feet and had taken his garments, would
put his garment back on, he was set down again. And he said unto
them, Do you know what I've done unto you? The Lord asked this
question, Do you understand? Do you know what I've done? Now
certainly they understood the outward act, didn't they? They
watched him wash the disciples, the apostles' feet. But they
didn't really grasp at first The meaning of what the Lord
was doing after Peter finally realized by the Lord revealing
to him what was going on, Peter said, wash me all over and I
shall be clean. Some have said that this is said
here in a way of a command or he's saying, consider what I've
done to you. Consider what I've done to you.
A natural man. can understand some facts of
the gospel. Now, we can intellectually understand
some facts of the gospel. A natural man can understand
the historical things of the gospel, and even to some extent
the concept of the gospel. He can understand what we call
the doctrines of grace. We talk about election and depravity
and particular redemption and effectual call and perseverance.
We can intellectually process those things. We can have no heart love, no
heart revelation of the glory of God that shines in the face
of Jesus Christ. You can understand, you see what
I'm saying? You can understand the facts of the gospel, the
doctrines of the gospel, all the things, the historical aspects
of the gospel, and yet have all this head knowledge, but yet
no heart love, no heart faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
all. For salvation, my friend, we
know is the revelation of a person within us. God commands the light
to shine in our heart, and He causes the light of the gospel
to shine in our heart by the power of the Holy Spirit through
the Word of God, and we see the glory of God shine in the face
of a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He gives us the love for
Him. You see, salvation is in Christ. Salvation is not in any
church, any ordinance. Salvation is not in any ceremony. Salvation is in the person. That's
why the Lord said, come unto me. That's why the Lord said,
look unto me. That's why the Lord said, if
you're thirsty, come to me and drink. He always points sinners
to himself because he is salvation. In John 14, we're gonna read
where the Lord said, I am the way, the truth, the life. No
man comes to the Father but by and through me. Christ in you
is a hope of glory. You see, he must break our heart.
He must convict us of our sin and show us our ugliness and
show us his beauty and how he puts away sin by the sacrifice
of himself. Now look at verse 13. John 13,
13. You call me master and Lord. Now, all of them addressed him
as Master and Lord. I'm sure that Judas even said,
Lord. I'm sure that Judas even said,
Master. We read in, I think it's Matthew
26, when they all began to question, when the Lord said, one of you
are going to betray me, and they all began to question the Lord.
They all said, is it Master, is it I? Judas said that too,
Master, is it I? So you can call me Master and
Lord, you call me Master and Lord and you say, well, for you're
right. I am, I am the Lord. There are a lot of folks that
use his name, don't they? Who don't know who he is. A lot
of people, even someone working out on the job, will hit his
hand or smash his finger under something. He'll start using
the name of the Lord, usually in a bad way. So you can use
His name, call Him Jesus or call Him Lord, and not know His person
and who He is. Our Lord said of those hypocrites
that Isaiah talked about, Matthew 15, they honor me with their
lips. They give me lip service, but their heart is far from me.
You remember the story from Matthew chapter 7, when the Lord said,
not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, is going to enter
into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my
Father." Well, what is this doing the will of the Father business?
Turn back to John chapter 6. Let's see if we can find out.
John chapter 6. It's not everyone that says,
Lord, Lord, not everyone that says, Master, Master, is going
to enter into the kingdom of God, but he that doeth the will
of my Father. Well, what is the will of the
Father? Let's see if we can find out. John 6 verse 37, All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will, which sent me, that all which he had
given me I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the
last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting
life. And I'll raise him up at the
last day. He that doeth the will of my Father, what is that? Bow
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Submit unto Him. Now make no
mistake. Or as someone often says, let
me be clear on this. The Lord Jesus Christ, He is
Lord. He is God. You see that? You call me Lord and you say,
well, for I am that I am. Make no mistake, the Lord Jesus
Christ is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Remember in John
10, He said to those Pharisees, I and my Father, we are one. And then later in John 14, Philip
said, Lord, show us the Father. And he said, have I been with
you so long and you haven't seen me? I and my Father, we are one. He that seeth me, seeth the Father. You see, He is the Lord, our
God. Now, He is not Lord by something
we do. We often hear people in religious
circles say, well, make Jesus your Lord. You can't do that.
That's impossible. He is Lord. You don't make Him
Lord. You don't let Him be Lord. He is Lord. God had made that
same Jesus, Peter said in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. God
had made that same Jesus whom you crucified. God had made Him
both Lord and Christ. He's not Lord by something we
do. He is not Lord because we confess Him to be Lord. He is the Lord of glory whether
we confess Him or not. God has highly exalted Him and
given Him a name which is above every name that at that name
every knee will bow and will confess that He is Lord to the
glory of God the Father. He's Lord by decree, isn't He?
He's Lord by design, isn't He? He's Lord by purchase. He bought
us with His own blood. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
what it says in the last part of verse 13, I am. I am that I am. I am the light. I am the bread.
I am the way. I am the door. I am the water
of life. It's the same I am that spoke
to Moses on the mountain. I am that I am. And our Lord
said in John 8, if you believe not that I am, You remember what
it said in John 8, 24? Believe not that I am, you'll
die in your sin. I am the Lord, Lord of lords,
King of kings. I am that I am. He says that
again down here in verse 19. I tell you these things before
they come to pass that you may know and believe that I am. I
am that I am. Again, this is teaching us that
the Lord Jesus Christ is God and the deity of His blessed
person. I like the confession that Thomas
made. We're going to see it in John
chapter 20. Thomas said, My Lord and my God. That's my confession.
That's this Thomas. This Thomas. That's my confession
too. I can identify with Him. He is
my Lord. He is my God. He is my God and
Savior. Notice this, He's Lord and He's
Master, but notice the great contrast here. He declares the
end from the beginning, but notice the great contrast here. Here
is the Lord, He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, yet He stooped
as the lowly servant to serve and minister unto His people.
Now what a great Stoop this is. We read in Philippians 2, he
made himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found
in habit and fashion as a man, he humbled himself, became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. The Lord of glory
manifest in human flesh. Not only that, he stoops to minister
unto us, in that he was made sin for us, who knew no sin,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He bare our sin in his own body
on the tree. Listen to this scripture, Matthew
chapter 20, verse 28. Even the Son of Man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His
life a ransom for many. You see, He came to minister
unto us, to give His life a ransom and a sacrifice for sin for us.
Here is the Lord of glory dying for us, coming for us, working out salvation for us. But He's not only that, He's
the Master. You see that? He's Lord and Master. Now that
word master means teacher. Teacher. You ever had a school
teacher? I can remember every school teacher,
especially elementary years. I can remember every teacher
I had. That's been over 50 years ago. You remember all your teachers? I mean those elementary teachers,
they have an impact on you, don't they? And I remember one particular
teacher I had in fifth grade. When I needed such direction
and my home life was such a disaster, from a split home and had no
direction and nowhere to go and no one to really lead me and
teach me, and the Lord in His great mercy, even though I didn't
know Him, He sent me a teacher. His name was Mr. Hunter, Leon
Hunter. Don't know where he is now, he's probably gone and dead,
but he was a man that had discipline. That's what I needed. He was
a man that when he said something, you better sit still and listen.
Or you'd be out in the hallway with a yardstick on your backside.
And that's exactly what I needed, a teacher. The Lord Jesus Christ
is our teacher. He is that prophet sent of God
to teach us, to show us the way of salvation. He's the master
teacher. And you know what his lesson
is? He's the lesson. He teaches us himself. He shows
us Himself, His person, His work, who He is. He's the teacher and
He teaches us that salvation is of the Lord. He teaches us
by His Word. You remember in John chapter
5? He said, you are they which search the Scriptures, they are
they that testify of Me. So He teaches us from His Word. He teaches us by just what we're
doing right now, by taking the Word of God and teaching and
preaching the Word of God. God has ordained that to the
edification of His people, to the blessing of His people. And
then He teaches us by His Spirit. Turn to John chapter 14 verse
26. He's our Master Teacher. What a blessing to have a teacher
such as this. He's the Lord. He's our God. Oh, and He teaches us. All those
who have heard and learned of this teacher, they come unto
Him. He is the lesson. He is the teacher.
John 14, 26. But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, John 14, 26, Whom the Father will send in My name,
He shall teach you all things. and bring all things to your
remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." He is the teacher
that we need. He is the master that we need.
We shall all be taught of God. This is teaching grace. Teaching
grace. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Let's turn and look at a couple
of Scriptures here. Find 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. Here's what He teaches
us. He teaches us that salvation
is all of grace. 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. Our thinking
of that scripture over in Acts 15 where Peter said, We believe
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved
even as others. That's the lesson. He teaches
us salvation is all of grace. All in Him, of Him, by Him and
through Him. 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, Yet for your sake
he became poor." There's his poverty. He impoverished himself
as the servant. He had nowhere to lay his head. The birds have nests, he said.
The foxes have their hole. The son of man had nowhere to
lay his head. 2 Corinthians 8, 9. He became
poor. Poor. Poverty stricken that you through
his poverty being made sin for us might be rich. That's what he teaches us. This
is teaching grace. Teaching grace. I've got one
other scripture we might take a look at over here in Titus
chapter 2. Titus chapter 2 he talks about this teaching grace.
Teaching grace. And that's what I need. Don't
you need to be taught? May we never reach to the plateau
of saying, well, you can't teach me anything. Or come to the plateau
of saying, well, I know everything. No, we are learning. Our Lord
said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Learn of me. Now look at Titus chapter 2,
verse 11. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation The grace of God brings salvation, hath appeared to all
men. Now he's talking again like we
read in 1 Timothy 2, all sorts of men, all kinds of men, teaching
us this grace of God that bringeth salvation, teaching us that denying
ungodliness, worldly lust, that we should live soberly and righteously
and godly in this present world, Not going about to establish
a righteousness of our own. Verse 13, looking for that blessed
hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ. This teaching grace tells us
not to look in here, but look unto Him. Looking for, that's
teaching grace, looking for that blessed hope. Glorious appearing
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, zealous
of good works. They shall be taught of God. He is our Lord. He is our Master. Okay, now look back to verse
14, John 13, verse 14. Should we wash one another's
feet? Now, you've been waiting for
me to ask that question, haven't you? Should we wash one another's
feet? Look at verse 14 and 15. If I then, your Lord and Master,
have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I've given you an example,
not an ordinance now, an example that you should do as I've done
unto you. You should do as I've done. Now,
should we wash one another's feet? Now, it would serve no
purpose to do this literally and actually, because my feet
don't need washing. And I'm sure the same would be
your case. They do not need to be washed.
The Lord here is not instituting a church ordinance. He's giving
us an example how we are to stoop before one another, to esteem
each other better than ourselves, and to serve one another out
of love and gratitude unto Him. That's the lesson. It's not,
you know, I have to take off my coat and wash your feet and
show everybody how humble I am. That's really self-righteousness. How do we serve the Lord? Do
it in quietness. Don't make an announcement. You know, don't stand on the
corner. Do it before the Lord. Don't tell anybody. Serve one
another in humility, in quietness. Don't sound the trumpet. Do it
in meekness, quietness. We are to serve one another in
love and humility. That is the lesson here. We're
gonna see this repeated over and over and over again. Look
at John 13. John 13, look at verse 34. A
new commandment I give unto you. A new commandment I give unto you
that you love one another as I've loved you. Boy, that's sacrificial
love, is it not? As I've loved you, you love one
another. As I've loved you, by this shall
all men know that you're my disciples, verse 35, that you love one another,
love one another. As the Lord of glory condescended,
I know it's a big word, stooped, submitted to serve us, Shouldn't we serve one another
with the same motive? What's the motive? Thanksgiving? What's the motive? To the glory
of God? That we should serve one another?
Now, Peter and John both write about this. Turn over to 1 Peter
2. 1 Peter 2. Peter and John both write about
this. We'll read 1 Peter 2. about loving one another and
serving one another by this shall all men know that you're my disciples
he said now look at first Peter chapter 2 look at verse 21 for
even here into where you call because Christ also suffered
for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps.
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who, when
he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judges righteously."
He bowed. He said, Lord, not my will, thy
will be done. who his own self bare our sins
in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should
live under righteousness, by whose stripes we are healed.
For you were a sheep going astray, but now are returning to the
shepherd and bishop of your soul." Now let's find 1 John chapter
3. John writes about it too. John
has a whole lot to say about this love thing. But this, this
is that love of God that's shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit. This is that love that's the
fruit of the Spirit in 1 John chapter 3. In 1 John chapter
3. Verse 14, we know that we pass
from death unto life. That's from being spiritually
dead unto being made spiritually alive because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother
abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother
is a murderer. You know that no murderer hath
eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we, we know the
love of God because he laid down his life for us. We ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren. Whoso hath this world's good,
and seeth his brother hath need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? My little
children, verse 18, let us not love in word, neither in tongue. That's easy to say, I love you. Show me. That's what he's saying,
show me, demonstrate it. My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth, in
sincerity, in right motive. Hereby we know that we are of
the truth and shall assure or persuade our hearts before Him
in love." Now, to love and to serve one another, turn to Ephesians
chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. So, verse 32, Ephesians 4, 32. Be you kind one toward another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
sake, hath forgiven you. Be therefore followers of God
as your children and walk in love as Christ also loved us
and has given himself for us as an offering and sacrifice
to God for a sweet smelling savor. We are to forgive as we've been
forgiven, it says in Matthew 6. Those who will not forgive
only show that they have not been forgiven. The man who will
not show mercy is a man who's not an object of mercy. I recently
heard a story of a man who was the governor of Georgia. This
is back years ago, early 1800s maybe. And he was on a vessel going
to England or coming back from England. And this governor, he
had a governor's estate and one of the ship workers got into
his wine cabinet and stole some wine. And the governor got a
hold of the captain of the ship and they arrested the man and
tied him up on the deck of the ship. And the governor of Georgia
demanded from the captain that that man be whipped for stealing
that bottle of wine. Well, there was an old gospel
preacher that was on that same ship who heard about this man
that's going to take a whipping for what he'd done. But what
he did, and he came upon the scene and intervened and mediated
for this man who was tied to a post and getting ready to have
his back lashed. And he said to the governor of
Georgia, I would ask you to show mercy to this man. Yes, he did
wrong. Yes, he shouldn't have stole
that wine. But I ask you, would you please show mercy to that
man? of which the governor of Georgia said, I will show mercy
to no man. Of which the wise preacher said,
well, I pray that you'll never sin against God then, because
those who will not show mercy are those who will never receive
mercy. See what he's saying? Show mercy. Those who have been forgiven,
oh, I tell you, they're ready to forgive. Those who have received
mercy, They're ready to, blessed are the merciful. Blessed are those who are the
peacemaker. Blessed are those who are meek
and lowly in heart. You see what he's saying here?
There's more than just this thing of washing, literally washing
somebody's feet in a church service. It goes beyond that. The lesson
is bigger than that. It's greater than that. Back to the text. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, verse 16, A servant is not greater than his Lord,
neither is he that sent greater than he that sent him. Since the Lord had a ministry
here of service to His people out of love and thanksgiving,
What kind of ministry do we have? Same, right? Out of love and
thanksgiving. It says in Luke 22, it's greater
to serve than to be served. It's greater to serve than to
be served. Now look at verse 17, I'll let
you go. If you know these things, happy, blessed, blessed, blessed. If you know these things, happy
are you if you do them." Now, it's more blessed to give than
to receive, is it not? It's more blessed to serve than
to be served, is it not? The text does not say, happy
are you if you know these things. It says, happy are you if you
know and do these things. Just knowing doesn't bring happiness,
but knowing and doing. Faith and conduct cannot be separated. As James said, faith without
works is dead being alone. James 2, 17 says, even so faith
is half not works. If it half not works, it's dead
being alone. Yea, a man may say thou hast faith and I have works.
Show me thy faith without your works. and I'll show you my faith
by my works. Now, while it truly can be said, now
listen carefully, this loving, believing, and serving
the Lord Jesus Christ can never be said that it's the cause of
salvation, right? nor it's the reason of salvation
or the ground of salvation. Salvation is not by works, right?
By grace. However, it is always the fruit
of salvation, the evidence of being justified. Listen to Scripture. Ephesians 2, 8, 9, and 10. For
by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
but the gift of God, not of works, not of works, lest any man should
boast. Verse 10 says, For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto, what's that say? Good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them. I'm not opposed to good
works. It's the fruit of salvation.
Good works are never the reason, the cause, or ground, right?
That's settled, that's issued. We preach grace, salvation by
grace, by grace, by grace. When we get through with the
book of Hebrews, we're gonna study through the book of James.
James has a lot to say about submission, bowing, walking in
obedience unto the Lord. In Galatians 5.22, the fruit
of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, the evidence, the fruit
of the Spirit in a believer's life is this. The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy. You see, happy. If you know these
things, happy are you if you do them. Do them. This obedience
unto the Lord You know what Samuel called that under Saul? He called
it, rebellion is as witchcraft and idolatry. Read it. 1 Samuel
15, 23. 1 Samuel 15, 23. The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance. This is not the fruit of the
flesh. Fruit of the flesh is just the opposite. It's the food
of the Spirit in us. Happy are you if you know these
things and do them. Do them. Serving one another.
Loving one another. Forgiving one another as we've
been forgiven. What was that question? Lord,
how many times should I forgive my brother? Seven times? That's
going to be generous. Remember what he said? Seventy
times seven. As the Lord forgives you, how
does He forgive you? Freely? Fully? Always? Continually? How should we forgive
one another? Always? Freely? Willingly? Lovingly? Always? That's the
fruit of Spirit. As the Apostle said, I know whom
I have believed and I'm persuaded that He's able to keep that which
I've committed unto Him against that day. Faith is committed
unto the cause of God in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.