What symbol of love will you leave behind? | Justin Jaykumar

This message was preached  by Justin Jaykumar at Word of Grace Church on  February 14th , 2016. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

We have many symbols for Valentine’s day vi z hearts, red roses, hearts with arrows etc. 

Some of the greatest gifts of love in history are the eat Taj  Mahal built by ShahJehan for Mumtaaaz. The Rose cut diamond given by a count Grigory Orlov  to the Empress Catherine. Joe D (baseball legend) gave Marilyn Monroe a gift.

Today we talk about the greatest symbol of love.

For us Christians we know it’s the Cross. But even before that there was another symbol.

Before going to the cross Jesus expressed his love with another symbol – a towel and a bowl. It was radical and unheard of. Even today it is.

Today we will talk about this love that was expressed. He set a supreme example of humility and love.

The disciples and Jesus were walking toward Jerusalem. The disciples were pre occupied with who will be the greatest while Jesus was preoccupied with the cross. The Palestinian roads were very dusty. People wore sandals. So every house had a pot of water at the entrance so the servant could wash the guests’ feet. There was no servant in this house and they certainly would not wash each other’s feet!

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Now Jesus did the unexpected. He picked up a bowl and a towel. What Jesus did impacted their lives forever that day

Jesus in doing that took the role of a slave/servant.

1.     Verse1. He knew the purpose for which he had come would soon end. He was filled with love for these men. He wanted to teach them an important lesson in humility.

He also loved them. He served them because he loved them.

Even a Jewish servant was not expected to wash feet. This job was given to a gentile slave. And a master would never wash the feet of his disciples. He did the unexpected. He did not come to be served but to server.

If we want to impact the world we need to serve him. What symbol /mark will we leave on society?

2. Jesus washed their feet voluntarily

Peter did not want Jesus to wash his feet. He did without the expectation of a reward.

Do we volunteer to do things others are not willing to do?

3.  Verse 3.Jesus served knowing fully who He was. Jesus knew his origin and his destination. He knew why he came and what he was going to accomplish. He had no identity crises issue. He was very close to his father. He was one with his father and yet he washed the feet of his Jesus

It was when Jesus was at the closest in his relationship  with His father that he went farther in his love for man.

He was holy yet stooped to the lowly. There is no one closer to man than the man closest to God.

Our closeness to God should not alienate us from people but should draw us to serve them.

Often when we rise in our job we stop interacting with people of lower oppositions. This is not what Jesus has taught us

4. Jesus served those people knowing who they were. He washed the feet of Peter and Judas. He knew Peter would deny him and he knew Judas would plot betrayal.

Jn16:32

What is the symbol of your love? Our master ultimately gave us the highest symbol – the Cross

If anyone wants to be my disciple let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me.

We also have a towel and the bowl.

Mother Teresa’s quote in the Time magazine.” I don’t claim anything of the work. It is his work. I am like a pencil in His hand. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it.”

 What is the symbol of love you and I will carry to the world?

Let’s go and serve Him because his amazing inexpressible love.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.