How To Be Happy

The upper room discourse begins in chapter 13. It says, “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 unto the end,” or the uttermost. The setting for this is the upper room, and by upper room we mean the upper room where Jesus had the passover meal with His disciples the night He was arrested. He was in the upper room with them, and that evening He went out to the area of the garden of Gethsemane. In the early morning hours He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. What we’re reading in this upper room discourse are the last words of Jesus teaching His disciples. I have given the title “Alone With Jesus” because that’s really what it is; the disciples were alone with Jesus. Initially, Judas Iscariot is in the room with them, and we’re going to see in this chapter tonight that he is dismissed, being filled by satan going out to do his betrayal, and then Jesus is alone with the faithful eleven. He pours into them encouragement and instruction, everything He wanted them to know before He would go back to the cross. That’s why the emphasis here is on what Jesus knew—Jesus knowing that His hour was come. That “hour that has come” is His crucifixion. All through the gospel of John, Jesus said, “Mine hour has not yet come,” but now we read for the first time, He knew that His hour had come. Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world. Everything we read is really in the shadow of the cross, Jesus knowing that He would depart out of this world unto the Father, verse 1, “having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” Jesus had come into the world to suffer and die. He would depart out of this world and go back to the Father, but He loves His own unto the end, or to the very uttermost—Jesus loving His disciples.

“And supper being ended,” verse 2, “the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;” as I said, Judas was in the upper room, “Jesus…,” again, “…knowing…,” in verse 1, reference to Jesus “knowing” and again in verse 3, “…that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;” notice that he came from God, that’s His divine origin, and He went to God, His future glory. What He did was, “…riseth from supper…,” verse 4, “…and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.” In this picture of Jesus preparing to wash the disciples’ feet, we see a picture of humility. If I were to give a title to these first five verses, I would give the title, “A Lesson On Humility.” These verses are packed with spiritual truth and application. There are a lot of lessons we could draw out of them that we’re not going to be able to do in one setting, but if we’re going to be happy, and when we get down to verse 17, Jesus said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

The first step to happiness is humility. You show me somebody that is humble, and I’ll show you somebody that is happy. Now, when I say “humble,” I mean genuinely humble. Humility is that virtue that when you know you’ve got it, you lose it. The person that stands up in a testimony meeting and says, “I just want to thank God I am humble,” everybody claps, and he takes his bow. He’s not humble. When you know you’re humble, you don’t have humility. It’s a rather elusive virtue. I like the definition of humility as just not thinking of yourself. It’s not thinking lowly of yourself, it’s certainly not thinking too highly of yourself, it’s simply not thinking about yourself. You show me a person that all they think about is themselves and I’ll show you a miserable human being. You show me a person that’s narcissistic and consumed with themselves, their own interests, and what’s best for them, disregarding the needs of others, and I’ll show you a person that is so unhappy. You show me a person that is selfless, wants to glorify God and serve others, (we’re going to get to that in just a moment) and I’ll show you a person that is truly happy. Jesus said, “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”

Again, verse 3, “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands…,” what would you do if you knew that God the Father had given all power, all authority, all things into your hands? Well, I know what I would do, I would start getting things I want. I’d start ordering people around and commanding people to do what I wanted them to do. I would start ordering things the way I wanted them to be. Instead, what Jesus did was, “He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.” Wait a minute! Jesus, don’t you realize that You came from God; You’re going back to God. Don’t you realize that You’re the Son of God? Don’t you realize that in hours You’re going to die on the cross for the sins of the world, yet You take the time to lay aside Your tunic and Your outer garment to put a towel around Your waist, get down on Your knees to pour water into a basin, and go around to each disciple and begin to wash their feet? Talk about humility. You talk about a servant—Jesus is our example.

The picture is that they were around the dinner table. The dinner table at that time isn’t a high dinner table that you’d pull your chair up under and sit like we do today, but the table was only maybe up to two feet off the ground. It was in the shape of a horseshoe with the opening in the middle so the servant could go in and serve. (By the way, I think this is a really good idea. Instead of passing stuff around, the person comes in.) Everyone would lie on a bed around the outside edge of the table. Picture a horseshoe. On the outer edge was a big bed. You’d lie on the bed, with the dinner table at your head, on your left arm. You’d reach over with your right arm, grab your food, roll back and drop it in. Sweet! I love it! Actually, I have to admit that today I went home from church and ate a bunch of food for lunch, and we have a little nook in our kitchen with pads and pillows. I pushed things out of the way and after I ate, I just lay down and went, “Ohhh.” I actually finished my meal by scooping it in, lying in the nook, just kind of shoveling it in. I think this dinner bed is a cool idea because after you’ve eaten, you just roll over and take your nap. You don’t have to get up and go to your bed—you’re already in bed. That’s awesome! The point of the matter is that extended out the back of the bed were their feet.

In every house, in the middle east at that time, as you approached the house there would be a basin of water, a place to wash your feet with a towel. The lowest slave of the household would do the menial task of washing feet. They wore open sandals, and there were dirt roads. They didn’t have nice big patios, so when they would come into the homes their feet would be dirty. It was just customary. We say, “May I take your coat?” “Would you like something to drink?” “Would you like to sit down?” Those are the customary things you do when someone comes over to your house. In those days, the slave would get down and wash the feet. They were in the borrowed upper room. Jesus didn’t own His own upper room, He had to borrow it. They are all lying around, and there’s the pitcher, the basin, the towel and the water, but there’s no slave. There’s no servant. I can almost imagine as they looked around the room they’re thinking, “I ain’t doing it! No way, man, don’t ask me to do it.” They could see the water. They could see their dirty feet. They could smell their dirty feet. They knew that their feet hadn’t been washed and, no doubt, they’re looking around thinking, “I ain’t moving.” They were probably giving each other the evil eye like, “Why don’t you do it?” Then, Jesus stands up. I can imagine the moment. He stands up, they’re wondering what is going on? He takes off His outer coat, like a tunic, and started to head over to the towel, basin and water. Immediately their conscience convicts them. They knew what Jesus was going to do. Then they thought, “Oh, no!” Someone probably hit Peter and said, “Why didn’t you do it?” They saw Jesus girding Himself with the towel, getting on His knees, and beginning to wash the disciples’ feet, which, by the way, included Judas Iscariot which is an amazing thought.

This actual story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, perfectly portrays His coming from heaven, taking on humanity, going to the cross to die for the sins of the world, that He would rise again from the dead and ascend back into heaven. This is a picture of Jesus in His humility when He came from heaven. This, in its doctrinal statement, is clearly taught in Philippians 2. It’s known by theologians as what’s called the “kenosis passage.” The word “kenosis” means emptying. Where it says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” When he says “mind be in you, which was also in Christ,” it means attitude or outlook to life. “Who, being in the form of God…,” morphe, which means essence of God, “…thought it not robbery to be equal with God:” not something to hold onto, “But…,” here’s our word, “kenosis,” “…made himself of no reputation…,” He emptied Himself, “…and took upon him the form of a…,” here it is, “…servant. . . and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. . .and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

That statement by Paul is in a chapter of Philippians where his intention isn’t to teach theology or doctrine, though it is there; his intention is to teach humility. Have the same attitude, the same mindset of Jesus Christ, who though He was God thought equality with God not something to hold onto but He emptied Himself. He came down from heaven, and he took the form of a servant. The word “form” is used two times in that passage, morphe in the Greek. The first time it’s used “form of God,” the word “form” does not mean outward shape but means essence. It’s actually a statement of His deity. Who, being God, thought equality with God not something to hold onto, “…thought it not robbery to be equal with God,” why? Because He was God. He was divine. Then it says, “took upon him the form…,” morphe, same Greek word, “…of a servant,” speaking of His humanity. You have a statement of His deity, a statement of His humanity, and through the incarnation of Christ taking on flesh, God became a man. Here’s an important point in this kenosis passage, it was pictured when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, what He laid aside was not His deity. At no time did Jesus ever cease to be God. What He laid aside was the outward display and demonstration of His deity. And, He laid aside His divine prerogative of using His divine attributes for His own purpose, and He became a man, fully taking on humanity, at the same time retaining His full deity, but He was God veiled in flesh. He didn’t glow in the dark. He didn’t have reverb in His voice. He didn’t have a halo. He didn’t float over the ground. He just looked like a Galilean peasant, like anyone else, so He wasn’t recognized as being God. What He laid aside was the glory, the splendor, the manifestation of His divine nature. On the Mount of Transfiguration, when He was transfigured, He was actually pulling back the veil of His humanity and allowing His essence, His deity, to shine forth, and they saw Him in His glory. We sing,

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Pictured in this story, He rose from supper even as Jesus rose from His throne in heaven; laid aside His garment, even as Jesus laid aside His display of glory and His divine attributes, only use them in the will of the Father as the Father directed Him; and He took up a towel and tied it around His waist, that’s a picture of His humanity. Then, He got down on His knees and began to wash the disciples’ feet. Isn’t it amazing that you can take a humble little story like John 13, Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, and see amazing truths that are packed into that picture of Him coming from heaven to earth in humility, and giving His life to die on the cross to forgive us, to wash us, and to cleanse us from all of our sins. So, we are to be humble if we are going to be happy, and we’ll come back to the application of washing the disciples’ feet. The second point we see is a lesson for Simon Peter (we’re studying his first epistle on Sunday morning), that we not only need to be humble, we need to be holy. Humility leads to happiness, and I am absolutely convinced that holiness leads to happiness. You show me someone that is committing sin, yielding to sin, following a sinful lifestyle and behavior, they are not a happy person. You show me somebody that is walking in humility and holiness, and I’ll show you a happy person.

Beginning in verse 5, follow with me, it says, “After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter…,” anytime Jesus and Peter are interacting, I just start to chuckle before I even get to the story because you know something hilarious is about to happen. “…and Peter saith unto him…, “Lord, You’ll never wash my feet!” “Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me,” I would say part or participation or fellowship or communion or even koinonia with me. When Peter heard that, verse 9, “Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; and ye are clean, but not all.” He made that statement at the end of verse 10, “For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.” That’s another reference to Judas Iscariot.

The story goes on, Jesus is washing the disciples’ feet. He comes to Peter’s feet, 13D I’m sure, big honkin feet, and probably stinking dirty. I would’ve passed over him and said, “Peter, wash your own feet.” I don’t like feet. I think feet are kind of the creepy part of the human anatomy, so don’t ask me to touch your feet, okay? I don’t do feet. He comes to Peter and Peter says, “You’re gonna wash my feet?” And Jesus makes an amazing statement that I think has some pretty cool devotional application. He says, “What I do you don’t know or understand right now.” Jesus knowing, Peter didn’t know. Jesus knew, but Peter didn't know. He says, “What I’m doing you don’t understand, but you’re going to know hereafter.” You say, “What’s the devotional application?” How often God is working and allowing things to happen in our lives that right now we don’t understand. Have you ever had something going on in your life and you’re saying, “I haven’t got a clue what God is up to. I don’t know what God is doing.” The point is, afterwards you’re going to understand. I believe that there are things that we won’t understand until we get to heaven. I believe there are things that we’re going to have to understand when we get to heaven, we’ll never understand this side of heaven. It’s like saying, “Right now, you don’t understand why God has allowed this or why this is going on in your life or why this is happening in your life, but you’ll know hereafter.” We need to rest in that God knows what He’s doing, and God is in control.

So, Jesus said, “If I do not wash your feet, Peter, then you have no part with me.” Peter says, “Lord, if that’s the case, give me a bath. Let’s go for it, Jesus. My head, my hands, my feet, my whole bod, let’s just go for it. Wash me because I want participation with You.” Then, Jesus makes this amazing statement. He says, “Peter, if you’ve had a bath,” and no doubt he had, “all you need is your feet washed.” This to me is one of the most amazing spiritual truths taught throughout the whole Bible and is clearly in the New Testament. Again, they had outside bath houses. They would take a bath. They didn’t have any inside plumbing, so they’d take a bath outside. They’d have to walk from the bathhouse to the main house on dirt roads with sandals. Have you ever been camping? You go down to the camp shower, take a shower, and you gotta get back to the campground with maybe your sandals or flip-flops on, if you don’t put socks and shoes on. If you’re a smart camper, you’ll shower and put shoes and socks on for the night so when you jump in the sack you have clean feet. But, you walk back with your sandals and your feet get dirty, so all you need is your feet washed. You say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah I got it, Pastor John, what’s the application?”

When Jesus said, “He that has been washed,” He uses a word for washed which means a full bath. Then, He says, “If you’ve had a full bath, all you need now is your feet washed.” Let me make it as simple as I can. I believe that the initial bath that Jesus is speaking of for Peter would speak of the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. I understand I’m taking a historical narrative and giving it spiritual application, but there’s clear teaching in the New Testament to back this up. This isn’t what maybe was going on here, but the picture is very clear. When we were first born again, we got a full body bath. It’s called the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. We commonly call it being born again. We’re born again. After you’ve been born again, you walk through life on a daily basis as a Christian and guess what happens? You’re feet get dirty. You trip, you sin, you think a thought that is not pleasing to the Lord, you do or say something, and your feet get dirty. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I believe that 1 John 1:9 is your feet being washed on a daily basis. It’s the Christian’s bar of soap. I don’t know about you, but I use 1 John 1:9 every day, throughout the day. I’m always scrubbing with 1 John 1:9. “Lord, forgive me.” “Lord, just cleanse me.” “Lord, forgive me.” Every day I need my feet washed. The point I want to make is once you’ve been born again, you don’t need to be born again again.

I meet people that come forward at every alter call. I say, “Look, look. If you’ve been saved, you don’t need to come forward again.” “Well, I want to get born again, again.” You don’t need another bath. You can’t get born again, again. Some people want to get born again, again, again, again, again and again. Once you have been regenerated, and you sin, there’s a difference between relationship and fellowship or some say sonship and fellowship. Once you’ve had a bath, you’re a child of God. All you need for communion and union and fellowship, (we walk in the light as He is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ is constantly cleansing us from sin and we have fellowship with God), is your feet washed.

By no means does this concept condone sin. “Well, I’ve had a bath now I’m going to go out and get my feet as dirty as I can.” No. You don’t want to do that because you want to have joint participation. “Peter, if I don’t wash your feet you have no communion with me.” We don’t want anything between our soul and the Savior so that His blessed face you can see. We want to have fellowship and communion with God, but our sins can separate us from the love of God. That’s why Jude says, “Keep yourself in the love of God.” God doesn’t stop loving you, but we can be in the place with dirty feet that we’re not fellowshipping with God and experiencing His marvelous love in our lives. Not only should we be humble, we should also be holy walking in constant confession and asking God to forgive our sins.

Jesus knew “…who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.” This is another reference to Jesus knowing. He comes back to the lesson on the foot washing that we need to be helpful or servants, verse 12. “So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?” Again, Jesus died, He resurrected, and ascended back into heaven. He says, verse 13, “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” Here’s the lesson. “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” Here it is, “If ye know these things, happy…,” or blessed, “…are ye if ye do them.” The main lesson that Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples, now He’s going to go to the cross, He’s going to leave them, He’s going to go back to heaven, and Jesus wanted them to serve one another. In the context of John you don’t discover this, but in Luke’s gospel we discover that prior to this upper room, the disciples were arguing with one another. Do you know what they were arguing about? Whose going to be the greatest in the kingdom. I wonder, “Jesus, where’d you get these guys?” “I’m going to be the greatest.” “No, I’m going to be the greatest.” “No. I’m going to be the greatest,” Peter said. “Did you see me walk on water? I’m the lead disciple.” They were arguing amongst themselves who would be the greatest in the kingdom, so what did Jesus do? He said, “If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you ought to also wash one another’s feet.”

Would you like to be happy? Be humble, be holy, and be helpful. Serve others. Wash their feet, for when they stumble try to restore them. Wash their feet by serving them. Wash their feet by praying for them. Wash their feet by trying to encourage them and be a blessing to them. I believe that as Christians we should actually pray, “God make my life a blessing. Make me a blessing to my spouse, to my kids, to my church, to my friends, to my family. May my life be a blessing; out of my life may Jesus shine. Make me a blessing.” That should be our prayer so that when others think about you they bless God. Remember when Paul wrote to the Philippians? He said, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” I read that and thought, “I wonder what people say when they think about me?” “John Miller. Oh, yeah. I’d like to kill that guy.” When people think about you, do they say, “Oh, thank you, Lord. What an awesome person. Oh, they’re such an encouragement! They serve me.” Happy are you if you do these things.

He moves into a last lesson on hypocrisy. If you want to be happy, then you want to rid your life of hypocrisy. In verse 18 He says, “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled…,” He’s quoting from Psalm 41:9, “He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” He’s speaking of a Psalm of David where he was referring to Ahithophel, but it had a messianic application to Jesus in His relationship to Judas. Verse 19, “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.” Jesus demonstrated His servant heart and His love for the disciples by washing their feet. Jesus demonstrated His divine omniscience by revealing to them that Judas would betray Him. He wanted them to know that in just a few hours He would be betrayed. He wanted them to know that when this all went down, “I’m in control, and this is all according to plan. Don’t freak out. It’s all according to plan. I want you to know that so you can know that it’s according to God’s plan. I want you to know that I am He.” This is a claim to be Jehovah God. He says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” We know that was Judas, but none of the disciples were aware of this. It says, “Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.” They hadn’t a clue who it was that would betray Him.

“Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.” Isn't that interesting that the apostle John, who wrote these words, was referring to himself? “Oh, by the way, I was leaning on Jesus’ bosom and I’m the one He loved.” How convenient for him to put that in his own gospel. By the way, the dinner bed around the outer table, you lie on your left side, so the person that’s right in front of you could just lean back and his head would go right on your breast. So, John would just lean back and say, “Hi, Jesus,” and he’d be about an inch away. He’d say, “Whoa! Talk about crowding My space there, John.” He’d just flip over, his face is right there, and he’s leaning on Jesus’ breast. “Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him…,” that is, John, “…that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.” 25 He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? 26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. 29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag…,” he was the treasurer, “…that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.” It's interesting that John mentions that because I think that night was symbolic of the sinful darkness and the evil that Judas went out to. Before Jesus could really open up with his disciples, alone with them in the upper room, He had to send the traitor away to do his dastardly deed.

Jesus is saying, “One of you is going to betray Me.” Why did Jesus disclose that? As I mentioned a moment ago, when it went down they needed to remember that Jesus told us. He knew what was going to happen. Everything is under the control of God. How interesting, that they hadn't a clue who it was. The minute that Jesus said, “One of you is going to betray Me,” they didn't all look at Judas and say, “I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I wondered why the dude was always all dressed in black and always wore sunglasses. He had beady eyes, his eyes are kind of set close to each other. Yeah, I knew he was the weasel.” No. They didn't know that. Let me just tell you right up front what I'm thinking and where I'm going to go with this. Do you know that Satan has his plans in the church? Do you know that you can't always tell who the real children of God are? Sometimes we say, “Wow! They’re so anointed!” “Oh! They’re so wonderful!” “Oh! They seem so spiritual!” They could be a Judas. Judas was such a smooth operator, but no one detected it. One of the most dastardly things that the devil does is plant Judas’ in the church. False disciples, professors but not possessors. Not everyone that says, “Lord, Lord” will enter into the kingdom of God but they that do the will of the Father, and Judas had amazing opportunity.

Can you imagine traveling with Jesus and his disciples for three years and being a traitor, not being a real believer, not being a real child of God? He even went out and did miracles with the other guys. Do you know that miracles are no indication that an individual is from God? Do you know that Satan can impersonate miracles? But even then, I believe that God was blessing and honoring His Word. They were performing miracles, but this guy wasn't really genuine. That's why believers should never follow miracles—miracles should follow believers. You never base your faith on subjective, emotional experience. “I saw it. I felt it. I experienced it.” That's a very tenuous, subjective basis for faith. You base your faith on the objective, solid rock of scripture. God said it, I believe it, that settles it. You must stand on the Word of God and not interpret the scripture by your experience.

There is a lot of deception going on even in the church today, which isn’t the real church it's the professing church. Jesus described it as wheat and tares grow up together and won’t be separated until the final judgment where God only knows. You say, “You’re scaring me, Pastor John.” That might be good. Examine yourself to see whether you’re in the faith or not. Make sure that you are really a child of God. Just because you come to Revival Christian Fellowship doesn't mean you’re going to get to go to heaven. Just because you read the Bible, you pray, sing songs, put money in the tithing bag or whatever it might be, that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed a place in heaven. Jesus said, “You must be born again.” He was talking to Nicodemus, a very religious Jew, so you need to make sure that you are truly regenerated, you are truly born again, you are truly a child of God, and you are not practicing duplicity or hypocrisy. Judas was a false follower of Jesus Christ, not a true disciple.

In closing, it says in verse 31, “Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” That is a reference to the cross. Jesus would be glorified, and glorify God the Father through His sacrificial death on the cross. “If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway…,” or immediately “…glorify him.” Jesus says, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you,” only hours. “Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 36 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. 37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. 38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.” Before the rooster crows in the morning, Peter, three times you are going to deny that you even know Me.

At the end of this chapter, Jesus again makes an amazing, amazing statement. He gives them a new commandment. In the Greek, it would actually be better rendered a renewed commandment because it's not new. It's new in its dimension and depth and breadth, but it's not new that we love one another. All the way back in the Old Testament, Moses actually said to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. It's not new that we should love one another, but it is new that we should love one another as Jesus loved us, “…as I have loved you.” Then he goes on to say, verse 35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.” And, of course, the word “love” is the Greek word agape. It’s a sacrificial, self-denying, divine, giving love, and Jesus said, “I’m going to give you a renewed commandment. I’m going to be going, you can’t follow Me now, you’ll follow Me later. I want you guys to understand that the number one identifying mark of My disciples is not going to be your haircut, it's not going to be the Revival sticker on your car, or the icthus or your “Jesus”sticker. It’s not going to be the cross around your neck, it’s going to be your love. Do you know what the birthmark of a true Christian is? Love. Read 1 John. It’s about fellowship and people saying that they are children of God, but they don't love their brother. How can we say we love God and hate our brother? How can we say we love God, whom we’ve not seen, and hate our brother who we have seen? If you are not loving or demonstrating the love of God, you have to question your salvation. I've met people, “Oh, I’m a Christian, but I’m not one of the loving kind. I’m kind of a hard core, exhortative rebuking Christian,” you know. “I rebuke people.”

The Bible says that we should speak the truth in love. If we speak the truth without love, it's brutality. If we speak love without truth, it's hypocrisy. What a Christian does is speaks the truth in love. You have both of those ingredients in your life. The birthmark of a Christian is love, and we even love our enemies! That's what makes Christianity so unique. We love those who persecute us and those who come against us. If you do that, you're in good company, so persecuted the prophets which were before you. We are to show God's love to everyone, not necessarily approval of sinful behavior, but we can love the sinner and hate the sin. God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. When we were sinners, God set His love upon you and me, so we need to learn to love other people. Here, in context, it would be loving the believers, the followers of Christ and that being the identifying mark, not arguing, bickering, dividing but loving one another. That’s the earmark of true disciples which, by the way, Judas was not. What Judas did was not loving, and he was not a true disciple.

Then, Peter says, “Lord, where you going?” Jesus said, “Where I'm going, you cannot follow Me.” Peter said, “Why can't I follow you? I will lay down my life for your sake.” One of the biggest dangers of being a Christian is self-confidence. "I will lay down my life for thy sake.” I can almost see Jesus when Peter said that cover his eyes and say, “I don't want to watch. I don't want to watch, Peter, because let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” The first step in Peter’s denial was self-confidence. When I get a young Christian come to me, “Oh, Pastor John, I’m a Christian now. I am going to be so strong. I'm going to follow the Lord. I'm not going to backslide,” and they're boasting of what they are going to do for God, I cover my eyes and I say, “I don't want to watch.” It's the opposite when I meet somebody who says, “I need the Lord's help. I can't live the Christian life if God doesn't give me the strength. I can't resist temptation if God doesn't strengthen me. I can't be a Christian if God doesn't give me the ability. I can't live the Christian life if God doesn't strengthen me,” and they see their weakness and it drives them to God for strength. I will never forget a day early on in my first coming to Christ experience. I was still struggling with some habits and sins I kept falling into, hanging around the wrong crowd. I went home (living at my parent’s house still), closed the door, got on my knees and just said, “God, I can't do it. I can't be a Christian unless You give me the strength. I love You. I want to serve You. I want to follow You, but Lord, I need Your strength. I need Your help.” Not that I by any means have been perfect or sinless from that day on, but I'll never forget it was a real turning point in my Christian life as I began to realize that when I am weak, then am I strong. It’s not my strength and my ability, but it is looking to, trusting in, relying and leaning upon God. Jesus said, "Peter, Peter, Peter, before the rooster crows in the morning, three times you are going to deny that you even know Me."

If you're here tonight and you think that you are an amazing Christian, may God have mercy on you. If you're here tonight and you think, “God is so lucky to have me on His team,” you're in for a rude awakening. Crash. After the fall and the dust settles, I can hear you saying to the Lord, “Help! Jesus, help me!” Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. So Jesus said, “Happy are you if you do these things." If you take this whole chapter, I believe that humility leads to happiness, holiness leads to happiness, servanthood/helpfulness leads to happiness, and when we depend on God and rid our lives of hypocrisy, Judas was the ultimate hypocrite, actor, phony. Don’t let there be any hypocrisy in your life. Be sincere and real. Admit your need and weakness to God. Call out to Him, and He will make you holy, He will make you humble, and He will make you a servant. He can forgive your sins and give you the hope of heaven and work in your life in a marvelous, amazing way! Amen?