John chapter 13, and I commence reading from the English Standard Version. Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already 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 had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments and, taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." We'll end our reading there. Last Lord's Day, we began considering this chapter, chapter 13, and we focused our attention on verse 1. And in that verse, we saw Christ's specific love for his own. And also the fact that Christ loved his own to the very end of his love, to the very end as John records for us. And the challenge that we laid before each one of us that in view of Christ's love, how have you loved him back if you are a Christian? How is your love for him? And if you are not a Christian, that here is love vast as the ocean, a love that cannot be compared to any love in this world. This morning we will focus our attention on the first five verses of this chapter. And those five verses highlight this element of humility in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It shows us this submissive, sovereign Savior who knew all things, who knew that His time had come, and He sets an example for all of us, but also challenges us. that he knows all things, and he cannot be deceived. He's sovereign, he's ruler of all things, he knows all things, and yet he still gave his life for his own. And so we see John records for us that before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that the great moment of His or the great moment has arrived, the moment where He will give His life on the cross. And Christ's life and ministry had been moment by moment or had been a movement towards His death on the cross. and time again he would let his disciples know and you see recorded for us when you tell them that this is why he had come. And there were times when the multitudes would want to put him to death and the Bible would record, particularly in John, that his time had not yet come. And now, with that knowledge that his time had come, that soon he will be handed over to the authorities. Soon he will be betrayed. He will make his way to the garden of Gethsemane, and there he will be betrayed and arrested, and he will stand before the authorities. He will be wrongly accused, condemned to death, and all that was in the plan of the Father. But prior to that, John once again highlights what was going in through the mind of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ took, had time for one more meal, one more fellowship, one more time with his disciples. And through the inspired Word of God, we have that recorded for us to see what was prevailing in that moment, what was in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ, what was it that concerned Him, but also the display of His affection and concern for His disciples. That moment. He pours His own soul, as it were, for His own disciple. And yet we also see in this passage the truth that John has been highlighting throughout, that Jesus is the Christ, and that by you acknowledging and realizing this truth, you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and find salvation. And so we see John reveals this sovereign God, the God of the universe, humbling himself to save others, even though he was burdened about them, but also the knowledge that soon he would give up his life for his own. And so we open up that vase and draw some lessons for ourselves this morning. And the first thing we see is the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and is picked in the first three verses. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who are in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hand and that he had come from God, and he was going back to God. And John highlights for us there, that here was our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who knew what was prevailing even in that moment. He's all-knowing. He knows all things. He was still in control even in this moment. Jesus knew that the Passover lamb Lamb was soon to pass. He knew that he was that Passover lamb whose blood was to take away the sins of his people and to secure for them a glorious redemption in God. But you could imagine what it was like in that moment. There was a tremendous heaviness in that room that evening. The disciples probably could have noticed or could have sensed the burden that Jesus carried with him. And John highlights it for us, that he knew what was happening. The disciples sensed that, or they could have sensed that. Probably they didn't know how to respond. They probably did not know what was going to unfold that evening. Even though Jesus was under extreme burden, He was aware of all that was happening. The swan tells us that he knew the plan. He knew that his time had come. This was the moment why he came into this world. He was conscious that the time for his crucifixion was forthcoming. As I said, there were seasons of opposition before, but during those times, We were told the time had not yet come. And now, sitting with his disciples in this upper room, they closed themselves from the world. And as he's looking towards the cross, he was well aware of the suffering he would endure and a great sacrifice He was to make. He was well aware. He was aware of the disciples' emotions, the disciples' confusion. He was aware of what was soon was going to happen, that when He was arrested, the disciples would be scattered. They would be left alone. fearful, afraid, hiding. Their leader would have been arrested, taken away from them. They'll be confused and certain of what the future holds. He knew the plan. He knew that his time was fast approaching. And yet he still had time to show love and comfort to his disciples in the midst of all that he knew, the pending death at the hands of his own father. He knew the plan. He also knew the scheme of the evil one. We are told in verse two, during supper when the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him. Again, he knew all the schemes of the evil one. He knew what Judas was scheming. He was not like the rest at dinner that evening who didn't know what was going and the importance of what was going. One seated with Him that evening looked like the rest. One was His own disciple. One who had been with Him for years. One who ate with Him, who shared with Him the delights and the hardship of the ministry. One who witnessed the miracles. of the Lord Jesus Christ. One who witnessed Jesus as he declared himself to be the savior of the world. One who witnessed and helped the Lord Jesus Christ teach God's word with authority like no one else has ever done that. One who saved as a treasurer for the group by all forms He looked like the rest. And one would assume or would even conclude that probably Judas held a great position among the disciples. I mean, he was trusted with taking care of the funds. And one can easily conclude that Judas must have been royal. and also been a man of integrity for him to be trusted with the fans of the group. He may have been in charge of the fans, but inwardly he was filled with greed, contempt and wickedness. He had walked with our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet he had never come to this realization that He who ate with me, He who healed the sick, He who proclaimed to be the Son of God, was truly the Savior of the world. He had not come to this realization. that Jesus is the Son of God. But the Scriptures tell us that the Lord Jesus Christ knew the scheme of the evil one planted in the heart of Judas. He knew the schemes of Judas. He knew what was in Judas' heart. Others may not have known, but Christ knew. But also we are told that Christ knew the purpose of all this. We see that in verse 3. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand and that he had come from God and was going back to God. He knew his purpose. He knew why he had come. And John gives us another significant element for us to consider. Jesus was deeply conscious of the authority that the Father had given Him. He was deeply conscious of who He was. He knew who He was. Even in this moment, He knew very well who He was. He did not doubt that the Father had given him all things. He did not doubt his Father's love. He knew who he was. And with this awareness, we would have expected Jesus to rise from the table and begin to command everyone around him. This knowledge from our own human thinking would expect the Lord Jesus Christ to begin to command everyone since he knew he was, he knew where he was going, he knew that he had all authority in heaven and on earth. He would have simply commanded everyone. Hey, rise, wash my feet, serve me a meal. Alma said, make me coffee, but we'll leave it for another day. Serve me a meal. But how different is our Lord Jesus Christ? This knowledge, that he was the holy one who came from heaven. This reality that he knew who he was, he still engaged with sinners. The majestic being whom angels would bow down and worship, he lowered himself and assumed the position of a servant. We would have never imagined this scenario if it had not been recorded for us in the scriptures. That the God of the universe, the creator of all things, would display such levels or such elements of divine servanthood. He humbled himself and came to die for sinners. And what John is highlighting for us is that the death of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, was carried out according to the sovereign plan of God. Jesus came to earth to fulfill that purpose. He came to die for sinners. He was born to die for the transgressions of the human race. He came to die for his own. He knew that He had done no wrong. He knew that He had not sinned against the Father, but He knew that He was the Savior of the world, the sacrifice that was to be given up for the forgiveness of many. He knew this. And as He headed to the cross, as He eats this meal with His disciples, He knew all these things and went through with it to the very end. And there's great comfort for us as believers in those words. The Lord is aware of your situation and the difficulties you face. He has promised to neither leave you nor forsake you. He's a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He's a friend. That even in the moment of difficulties, He will be there for you. He will provide comfort to you. He knows the very things that weigh you down. He is the sovereign God. the sovereign savior. He knows all things. He knew the heart of Judas Iscariot. But even in those moments, he knew the motives of Judas, but he still went ahead with his plan. He still displayed his love for him. He still offered Judas several opportunities for him to turn away from his sins. Even to this point, The Lord Jesus Christ knew Judas' heart and offered him a way out of it. When you read in verse 18, for instance, the Lord Jesus Christ is saying of our passage, I'm not speaking of all of you. I know whom I've chosen, but the scriptures will be fulfilled. He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me. I am telling you this now before it takes place, that when it does, when it does take place, you may believe that I am here. Verse 20, truly, truly, I said to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Again, when you read verse one and verse 22, you see that when the Lord Jesus Christ points out to the madness in the heart of Judas Iscariot, giving him an opportunity to repent. It's showing us he knows all things. And this is a great comfort for you and I. He knows your heart. He knows your situation. He knows the realities that weighs you down. And he's saying to you, I have all authority in heaven and on earth. I'm there for you. Look to me. I will lift you out of your situation. You can count on me. But also, this truth of the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ goes for you who are still living in your sins. The Lord Jesus Christ knows your heart. You can look like everyone else this morning, singing with us from the same hymn books, listening to the same voices, sitting and sharing the same pews, and yet your heart is far away from Him. Your heart is full of greed and wickedness. He knows you. You cannot fool Him. You can fool others, but you cannot fool Him. He knows your heart. He knows what is going through your mind, even in this moment. And He wants you to realize that He's a sovereign God who knows all things. And He knows you, and therefore He calls you to repent. The actions of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, flow from a position of supreme knowledge and power. He's not ignorant. He's not naive. His actions flow from a position of supreme knowledge and power. The Lord sees and knows. He sees and knows more than the outward appearance reveal. He knows you. Outwardly, you can look like the rest of us, as if you're also marching with us to Zion, but you cannot fool the sovereign savior of this world. And the fact that He's allowed you to continue living in your rebellion is not because that He has less authority or less power. He's giving you an opportunity to make things right with Him, to turn away from sin. Like Judas, who the Lord gave numerous opportunities to make things right with you, the Lord is also saying to you, turn away from your sins. You will be consumed. Your sins will continue to drag you further and further away from me. Turn away from your sin today. The Lord Jesus Christ knows who are His. The Lord Jesus Christ knows those who are not His. And John highlights for us the sovereignty of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. But secondly, we also see the submission of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The submission of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ in verse four and verse five. Let's pick it up from verse three. Jesus knowing that the hour, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper, laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John records for us the most beautiful expression of love ever demonstrated. The Lord Jesus Christ submitted himself as a servant and washed the feet of his disciples. Now, foot washing, took place according to the established custom practices of the day. It was considered the duty of the host to provide a servant who would wash the feet of the guests. In those days, obviously, there were not paved roads. Most of the roads, when you read the history, were dust roads. Most of the people wore sandals. And as they walked on these dusty roads, their feet would be dirty, unpleasant. When it was dinner time, they would eat sitting on low tables and with the guests reclining on pillows or small stools, and then their feet would be extended outwardly from the table. And it was understandable that their feet needed to be washed. You could imagine having dinner and then all you could see is someone's dirty feet. They would ruin your dinner. And so the customs and the practice of the day is that as a host, it was a duty to provide a servant who would greet the visitors with a towel and a basin, who would wash their feet and then usher them into the house in readiness for dinner. And on this occasion, there was no one to greet the disciples with a basin and a towel. There was no one to do that service, and we see the Lord Jesus Christ submitting Himself to this task and assuming the role of a servant. And you could imagine, since this was a well-established practice of the day, you could imagine the twelve disciples each turning away from volunteering to do this responsibility. And John writes for us in verse four and verse five, that the Lord Jesus Christ rose and began to wash the feet of his disciples. Our Savior was placing himself in the position considered to be so low for anyone, especially a Jew. Even though this was a established practice norm of the day, this task of washing the feet of visitors was a task that not even a Jewish servant or slave was given. It was mainly reserved for Gentile slaves. Even Jewish slaves thought this was law for them. And now the Lord Jesus Christ takes up this responsibility and begins to watch the feet of His disciples one by one. And in doing so, the Lord brings out profound lessons. Lessons for us to see the humility of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. But also He shows us that this symbolizes the washing that He provides, or the washing that will be made available in His death, all those who belong to Him and come to Him will be washed by the blood of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And you could imagine what was going through the minds of the disciples, seeing their Master, washing their feet, seeing the Redeemer of the world, the King of Kings, doing this task. But also you see that the Lord Jesus Christ has washed the feet of the disciples. He washed the feet of all of them present that evening. This was difficult for them to understand. Bearing in mind that a few verses, the Lord Jesus Christ would say, one of you betray me. One of you who eats with me will betray me. But the Lord Jesus Christ still washed his feet. With the supreme knowledge we spoke about earlier, He still displayed this consistent action to His disciples. He showed them the example to follow, but also that He who is in charge of all things, came to save and not to be saved. And what we see, as John records for us, is that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and He washes sinners in His blood. And salvation is not obtained by works, not works of the flesh. Salvation is obtained by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is obtained only by His merits. And it is for those who come to Him in the sincerity of their hearts and put all their hope in the Savior of the world. He will wash them by His blood. Only His life can wash sinners from their sins. And John wants us to see that as we see what happens in the following verses, we are reminded that as He washed their feet so that they are clean and ready for dinner, He also washes those who come to Him in faith and in repentance so that they are ready for the meal of love in His Father's house. He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew Thomas would doubt whether He was truly the risen Savior. But He shows them that He came to save, and those who trust in Him will be saved. The Lord Jesus Christ continues to extend his love to you this morning. As he looks at you, he knows where you are, he knows what you've done, and he sees you as a soul in need of salvation. He doesn't bypass you because of the sinfulness of your life. He doesn't bypass you because of the levels of iniquity in which you've drowned or you keep on drowning or you keep on swimming. He comes to you and reaches out to you in the sewer of your sin, lifts you and washes you by His blood. He consistently display his love for the world. He doesn't choose based on race or background. He says, whosoever believes will be saved. If he had bypassed Judas, would have said maybe the Lord has a standard which one must meet. He washed all their feet, and later on He would challenge them to follow Him as their Lord and Savior. And you, my whole seated here this morning, maybe you think you've wandered from God far away. Maybe you are being weighed down by your sins. And you think that maybe you need to wash yourself with religious terms, or you need to engage in some religious activities so that you come to a level where Christ may look at you and save you. Maybe you've been misled that until you do something for God, He will then respond to you and save you. Or maybe you've been misled that you need to engage in religious activities so that God can look at some of your works and accept you. But that's not the truth of the Scriptures. The truth of the Scriptures is that Christ came for you. in that state you are in. He came for you, He died for you, and is calling you to believe in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. He came that you might be made the righteousness of God. That's why God made Him to be seen who knew no sin. so that in Him you may become the righteousness of God. And this is what has happened to all those who've put their hope and trust in Christ. They've been justified. They've been washed by the blood of Christ, and they stand before the Father as those who've never sinned because of Christ. And when the Father looks at them, He sees the righteousness of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is why Christians can sing with boldness concerning the love of God, the salvation that is ours in Christ, because they know that they stand justified because of Christ. Our chains have fallen. Our chains are gone because of Christ, the submissive Savior of the world. the Sovereign Ruler, the Sovereign Savior. It is in Him that we find our refuge. It is in Him that we stand righteous before God. It's not because of works, but of Christ. And you too can find this assurance this morning. Our Savior is calling you to come to Him today. Look at our seventh king. He who made the stars. He who made the creation. Subjected himself to the cruelty of his own creation. And yet that same creation is dependent on him for survival. The hymn writer says, this is our king. Thus, this is our God, the servant king. He gave his life that in him you may find your life. Don't continue wallowing in sin, thinking that you can hide your sins from God. He knows your sins. And all authority has been given to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says to you, come. Come today and you'll find life everlasting. All that you may run to our Savior today. Don't run to the world. Don't run to religious activities. Run to the Savior today. Amen.