Latest / The Last Supper Club / GOD DOESN'T WANT YOUR PERFECTION | The Last Supper Club · John 13
Transcript
- speaker-0: Welcome back to the Lost Supperclass! We have got a full menu and a full house. Can you make some noise for yourself? Special care. We are in the book of John in chapter 13 where Jesus serves his people and I love to serve my people. And if I'm serving my people, I'm gonna serve them with all the things that I love. So on the menu, we've got some oxtail and butterbee. We've also got some curry goat. We've got some mac and cheese and a lot dairy mac and cheese. You know when you serve people you gotta serve both sides. We have also got some lovely rice. We've got a salad made by a la Philis as well. We had mango in there. We didn't need a sweet here. And then on the dessert menu, we have got a Terry's chocolate fudge cake. My fast run, actually. So reviews, but actually beef view. there's a biscoff cheesecake. And a TV vegano. So please help yourselves. And then a salted caramel and also biscoff. There's too much biscoff, so you let's do these. And there's also a crumple, there's loads of things going on, but you know what's actually going on? John 13. How do we love people? How do we serve people? That's exactly what we're gonna talk about tonight. So, cheers! Well this is the last summer club! We've had dinner, is everyone's bellies full? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, belly's full. Well, now we've moved over to cake and dessert. I really want to chop up John 13, where Jesus washes his disciples' feet. But you know what I've learned in the last two seconds is something taken from verse four. He got up from supper, given that we are all at a supper, got off, took off his outer robe and tied a towel around himself. I don't even have a towel. But Jesus put on an apron, tied his robe, put on his towel. And then washed his disciples' feet? Like, that's an incredible moment for God in all flesh to get down and wash our feet. and so my first question, I guess, has to be: when has God just done something so lovely for you that you've just been like, Me? Who am I that you are mindful of me? I'm gonna start with Phyllis actually, because I love my dear sister Phyllis. We go to Soccer Baptist Church, and if you want to see hospitality done well. Phyllis is your woman. So I would you see how many mmms are in the background. what's yeah, been a moment for you where you've just yeah, maybe it's been the Lord, maybe it's been someone in your life who's just done something really nice for you that you've just been like, Who am I that you're mindful of mean? But that was so, so kind. speaker-1: It's interesting that you would bring that verse to mind actually because that's how I always think of how I'm always reminded of how much God loves me and it just makes sense that I would love other people. know, and someone would say to me, why have you done that for me, Phyllis? I said, well, that's how the father loves me. So I'm just doing what he's shown. Yeah. You know. I look at where I am now and on reflection, all the bumps and the humps and the highs and the lows that I've had, I can see the Lord's hand on my life and the position that I'm in now, I can only look back and say, thank you, Lord, because had it not been for Him, heaven knows where I would be now. But to be able to sit here, I'm well, I'm healthy. Yeah, and feeling really, really blessed that this is the life. It's a lot better than I would have ever imagined for myself. The Lord closed doors, He opened doors. And yeah, I'm just really grateful that on reflection, I can see what He was doing for me. At the time, I have to admit there were times when I just wasn't sure. There was perhaps a little bit of resistance. There was a little bit of wandering too. But God in His grace was patient and He waited for me. And as the parable of the prodigal son, He went out to meet me when I was ready to return so that nothing else stood in my way. So, yeah. speaker-0: and I get the joy of you every Sunday, so very grate. speaker-1: I get the joy of you Sue. speaker-0: I'm gonna come to you in a second, Sinead, because we're both in radio. But I want to come to you first, Karen, and ask: given that you were at a royal wedding, and not just I know, yeah, because that's that deserves more woo. More woo. More more woos than that. I mean, a certain Harry and Megan's wedding. I mean, so Kingdom Choir, you did an incredible job, but here we're seeing the King of Kings in flesh put a towel on and wash disciples' feet. Yeah. And you've been among royal. So I just wonder what does this chapter say to you or say yeah, how does it just speak to you given that I guess you've just had incredible opportunities to be humanly in royal mode? But here we're looking at John thirteen. speaker-2: Well, it really is incredible because when we think about royalty in an earthly sense, there's nothing really of humility about it. when you think of it, and I'm not really talking about the family themselves, but the way that royalty is fated and lifted high on a pillar, it says that they are perfect, they are untouchable, they are rich, they are famous. And people absolutely do revere them and worship them. We're not really supposed to get close to them. We're not really supposed to talk to them. But Jesus here in this scripture comes, He didn't even come down to our level. What He's doing, He is being us. He's being human. He came from heaven and disrobed Himself of His wildness. That's what he did for us. And then obviously died at the cross. So he is modeling who we are to be to each other. That actually he's showing that he always has been what he's got a man. We know that he's got a man. But he was, I believe, fully man in this instance, showing us how we need to. treat each other. of what title we may have, what position we may have, where we may have been, how much money we have. He is modeling something to us all. I think the world would be a really different place if we actually learnt that lesson and took it on. speaker-0: You know what? It's so funny given you just said, we can't just I can't just call up Harry and Meghan. Do you know what I mean? I can't just call up kings and queens. And these guys were eating dinner with him, travelling with him, walking with him. He was so close, he was so near. But I just wanted to jump you actually because we're in radio. We see a lot of people walk through the building. Do you see the same sense what we're seeing in John thirteen at work with people who carry titles and carry power? Or have you been surprised by people to say, This is what I thought humility looked like? But actually when I read it in John thirteen, this is the true definition of humility. speaker-3: Yeah, I think in the workplace it's always interesting to see how different people operate in the titles. think some people take it on board as like, that's me, you know, and other people are just like, yeah, I've got this job title, but actually, how can I help you? And I think it's in those instances where you actually feel like, wow, like this is how we're supposed to be as people. Like this one opened the door for me, I need to keep the door open for other people. And that's the journey that we're all supposed to be on. So when I read about Jesus and what he did for others, it's just like, that's what I have to do as well, you know? speaker-0: Yeah, yeah, brilliant. I wanted to come to you because I just love the fact that we've been able to do this dinner. But Karen's winking and winking and being like, tell the story, tell the story. So I would love to know your story. just I heard the word minist I speaker-4: You're cheating already. speaker-0: I heard the word ministry and I know that comes with hospitality in any which way. So yeah, what's your story and how does John 13 feed into all that you speaker-4: You know what? That's so fat, that's cheating, that question is so broad but let me see if I can sort of narrow it down. He's sending me out and he's sending me out fully equipped with everything I need and that's love. It's love to know that I'm walking in his power and in his authority because it's in me and he's given that to me, that's love. He says, Paula, everything you need I've placed in you because I'm in you and you're in me, that is love. That's love to know that he's watching over me, he's looking after me and... You know, the mind of Christ is something else that's just absolutely wonderful. I don't have no worry. I shouldn't be troubled by anything. Just lean into the love that He's shown there, the love that He showed at the disciples' feet, is the same love that He continues to show to me day in, day out, day in, day out. speaker-0: And and that's the summary of verse 34, which is actually just the verse I wanted to capture, which is so beautifully basically summed up with what you've said. Verse 34 just says, I give you a new commandment. This is Jesus saying, I'm I'm about he knows he's going to the cross. The disciples, or maybe John's clocked it, but I think the other ones are a bit slower. They're like, what's he talking about? 34 says, I give you a new commandment that you should love one another just as I've loved you. Just as I've loved you, you should also love one another. But in that room, you know who he's washed the feet of? Judas. He's washed Judas' feet, but maybe not even the most obvious person. He's washed Peter's feet. Peter, at the end of this chapter, says, I'll even die for you, Lord. And Jesus says, Die for me. You're gonna deny me, my guy. Like you're gonna deny me three times about die for me. So he takes Peter on a journey. But what happens? No spoilers, no spoilers. But John 21, at the end of the book, you know what it says about John? about Peter, sorry, is that. When he hears Jesus' voice say, cast the net on the other side of the boat, scripture actually says that he girds himself. The same word that Jesus uses to gird himself, to wash the disciples' feet. Peter uses that same word to run after him because he's like, right, I'm I'm ready, I'm ready to go. So in one chapter, we've got love, the power of love, and yet Jesus loves Judas to wash his stinking dirty feet. All of them got stinking dirty feet, but does that for Peter, does that for Judas, two people who are actually gonna betray him. How easy is it for us to love those who may betray us, who may hurt us, who may not recognize our love for us and still love, even so, because Jesus says to love in the same way I've loved you. Phyllis, I want to come to you first. You look like you're pondering. How easy is it to love people who betray us? speaker-1: Well, we thought about this last night, as you know, we're in that series regarding unity and that was one of the questions, you know, what happens when you try, you try and you try again and you still get the same response? you get hurt, ultimately you get rejected, ultimately you get whatever it is they do to you. How many times are we required to keep going back? But Christ is really clear. We forgive 70 times 7. And yeah, that's the standard that God has set for us and we love because love covers everything. It covers the multitude of sins and that is his standard for us. It doesn't keep a tally. of the times, or it shouldn't keep a tally of the times that we've been hurt. That's the standard that Christ has set for us. So where we're saying, I remember you did that for me last time, and I'm going to be like this way and that way, we need to remember what Christ has already accomplished for us. when you think about that and who we are as individual people in the grand scheme of things, who are we? That he should make himself less than we were. You know, he became a servant, you know, and that act of washing feet, he became less than we were. So who are we to say that we're not prepared to forgive? And it's a challenge. It's a challenge for me, I have to be honest. But that's how Christ loves me. So I'm going to do my very best to love other people as Christ has loved me. And you use the word equipped. and he does equip us, he gives us the strength. By his Holy Spirit, he makes us aware of where we are on the wrong side of him and he gently nudges us and brings us back. And I also just want to say very quickly that some of the most profound lessons that we will ever learn about Christ and his love for us is when we are in our sin. because the way in which he is able to call us back, we know where we've been, we know what we've been doing. And the fact that he would still call us back and still show us his love, still show us his grace and his mercy and forgiveness is just such a powerful thing. So I think we can, it's almost like we can measure the extent of his love when we know the extent of our sin. speaker-0: And how much it's actually been received, isn't it? Just like, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. but what happens when work promotes us? Or what happens when we get titles and positions? How easy is it to remain humble? I think I can't remember if I was having this conversation with you as well around the dinner table. What happens when you do want to stay humble, but actually you've got a really good job and you're actually being really encouraged to go and do that job? does does Bigger titles and whatever status, whatever you want to call it. I mean, Jesus is an excellent example of having all the power and still remaining humble. But how do you get really well at your job and still remain humble? speaker-2: Yeah, I think it depends on where your focus is and who you're looking at. When the wedding first happened, everything went crazy. And everybody wanted the choir here and there and everywhere. And a lot of the focus was on myself. If it was a photo shoot, you need to be in the middle, you need to be at the front. The decision was mine. So everything was going towards... Karen this, Karen that, and then there was the hair and the blah, blah, blah and everything. It was a lot of things. And in that space, so I've grown up in the church. I've been in the church for over, anyway, well over 50 years. And what I'm trying to say is you can learn a way of being. You can learn a language. You can learn what you're meant to do and what you're meant to say. So you can actually fool yourself that you're actually remaining humble. You can fool yourself that you're doing the right thing in that space. And I'll remind us of something that you just said. You said that sometimes God is doing his greatest work in your sin. I would also say, I think that God is doing a great work when actually you have to then face something that's challenging, really hard, not necessarily because of sin, but the hard times. And then you then begin to realize actually who you are and who God is. And that's when, you know, reality then, God's reality then steps in. And you have to take a serious look at yourself. But I actually think that you shouldn't regard yourself too much because I have found that my change comes when I'm in the Word, when I'm worshipping, when I'm regarding God's face. I think that's when you then become like Him. Jesus always said that I do what I see my Father doing. He was surrounding Himself with God. Now, if we think about the friends that we have, like I grew up with Colette and Elaine and Kim and they all talk a certain way. The ladies that I grew up with, I do the same. Why? Because I surrounded myself with them. I think it's the same with God for us. If we're in His word enough, we begin to repeat what He's saying. We don't even know that we're doing. We begin to feel a certain way towards the people who even hurt us. So I think it's, I don't think it's by really trying hard. I don't think it's striving in that way. I actually think our change comes through hard times, difficult times, but also through sitting at... the feet of Jesus and finding out who He is. When we understand who He is and our identity in Him, then I believe that's how change comes. speaker-0: Yeah. You just mentioned the feet of Jesus. This babe of a friend. Yeah, last week we was in John 12, all about Mary and she crushes the alabasar jar and you know anoints Jesus with the oil. Shinnae bought me some lilies last week here, but the lilies were closed cupped. They they hadn't opened yet. And all this week they started to open, they started to bloom, they started open. And the fragrance of these lilies, I was telling Philies actually on Sunday, they just the whole flat, even Chico was like, What is that? It's the lilies, it's the lilies. So I just it's on the feet of Jesus. Mary was at the feet of Jesus. We last week, by God's grace, we're at the feet Jesus, reading that passage. I would love to know the way I feel so loved by you in that gift. What is one way that God has just been so kind? that you've just received God's love, been like, wow, God actually really loves me. speaker-3: I think one standout moment that I'll cherish forever is when I was like five years old, so my fifth birthday, my mum's cousin bought me a Bible, like my first ever kids Bible. And I used to read it when I was going to bed and all this stuff, put it away as I got older. And when she passed away, that was like the one thing out of all the presents I could remember over the years. I was like, where's the Bible? And I went to my room and I picked it up. and on the front page she'd written a whole message to me and part of the message was like, I love you so much, so I've given you this and I know that if you stand on this as a foundation, you'll become a woman of honour. And I took that and I was like, Lord, I'm here. And from that day onwards, I've been in God's Word, at Jesus' feet, just trying to learn, soak everything in. speaker-0: amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. What a beautiful testimony. What a beautiful testimony. Well, I'm gonna close us. Before I do, I've just really enjoyed the company, the dinner, the cake, the whole gang in the room. But it is all about serving. And I just would love to know a bit of advice that you would give to anyone watching or listening. If they feel like, I'm like Peter, I've messed it up. Like I'm about to deny Jesus after God has shown me such great, great love. Or a Judas who thinks, actually, I think Jesus is a waste of time. I think actually he's worth less than 30 pieces of silver. I'm actually gonna betray him. what advice would you give to someone in that space who may just need to know Jesus loves you? He absolutely loves you. He's washing your feet because he's actually gonna go to a cross, die on a cross, rise up again from death so that all of you would be washed and washed clean so you could stand before a living God? So that's the end of the story. We know that. But for someone who's in this chapter in their life, what advice or maybe even your own story, your own life story, would you give to someone who may be thinking, I'm actually a bit Peter, I'm a little bit Judas at the moment? Paula, I'm gonna start with you. speaker-4: Yeah, you're just making trouble, aren't you? Gosh. My mind just goes back to Adam and Eve in the garden. speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-4: Walking with God. Adam, they were breadwinners. They were walking, talking, having a moment. God had given him dominion. said, this is yours. This is mine. I've got the heavens. You've got the earth. That's your dominion. You go and do your thing. You rule it. It's up to you. Just don't touch that tree, yeah? All right, we got the drift here. They touch a tree, it's like, my gosh, you're gonna die if you touch it, but they touched it. They died. What do you mean died? Adam didn't die straight away. No, he didn't die straight away, but God said you will die if eat of the tree. So what died? What died was Adam was separated from God. That was death. If you imagine a flower and you cut the flower, it's separated now. The flower doesn't die straight away, but it is dead because it's been separated from God. And I'm going to come back to your question. So Adam died because of his separation from God. And God's now watching this. He's watching the series. my gosh, what's going on? Look at this. Me, my brethren walking can't do that. He's done the thing. Got to kick him out so he doesn't eat from the tree of life and live forever. And he's fallen state. Off you go. Get out of the garden. What am I going to do? He sent the word down speaker-2: Let's flesh. speaker-4: so that the word, the word could go on the cross. so that I could receive that gift and be reconnected to God. So to know that God watched the play and did all of that, and I don't even know what the question is, but I'm sure I'm coming to speaker-0: Then all speaker-4: it. Did all of that so that I could be reconnected to Him so that when I was born again, born from above as it says in the Word, I became righteous, I became holy and my righteous and Holy Spirit is now reconnected to God. So know that that God... did that for me, I would say to that person, God got it sorted, He's got it sorted, He's dealt with it. He already sent Christ down to go on the cross for you so that you could be reconnected to Him. And because you're reconnected to Him, it's all right. Don't watch that. Your spirit is righteous, your spirit is holy. Renew your mind, out your soul by renewing your mind so that you can walk in the way that He wants you to walk. Don't watch that. Just know again, you are righteous. and you are holy. Just renew your mind with the Word of God and walk forward and it will be fine. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Amen. Amen. Amen. Just to jump in real quick, isn't that Peter? Isn't that Peter? Peter falls flat on this man's face, you know, he falls flat out. And God's like, I know you were gonna do that. And yet Jesus still loves him, still washes for you, even though he knew he was gonna fail him. What what an amazing love. What an amazing love. speaker-2: And then it was Peter then, sorry. speaker-0: No. speaker-2: So I'm actually very encouraged by the story of Peter because he did, he really dropped off heavily and not just for that period but for time in memoriam. Everybody knows Peter as that guy who betrayed Jesus, his whole community and us, this community. That's a bad man. It's true though. speaker-4: But there's a minute in it. speaker-1: Let's check that. speaker-2: But in the next few books down, he's the one who preached and thousands were saved. That same guy who denied Jesus three times. So that could be any of us. We mess up all the time, don't we? speaker-0: Yeah we all the time. speaker-2: But God doesn't finish with us. He doesn't write us off and he doesn't cancel us. You know? speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-2: Like we sometimes are ready to cancel each other when we do the first wrong thing. No. I love that. God is always ready to forgive and always, He did it with the children of Israel. Time after time they would turn their backs on him and go and worship other gods and then God would give them another chance and another chance and another. And we have that same chance, those chances. speaker-0: It's so true. I don't even know why I thought of this story, but I was working a radio job, and the guy it's so funny, I was just making tea, I was just making the tea, and this guy came and spoke to me so rudely. And at the end, when he found out I was just a guest on the show, he goes, I thought you were the cleaner. And I was like, But even if I was the cleaner, you still talk to people with respect and with honour. And so even in this world, you think, I could have blasted him, I could have cancelled him, I could have gone to the but I just said to him, no. It's okay. Do you want a cup of tea? And he was so like taken aback to say, you're gonna offer me a cup of tea. But I thought, actually, it's so gone. Were you gonna say something? No, no, no. I was just gonna say, yeah, that in those moments where it's so quick to hold a grudge or so quick to cancel, actually, I know how quick God would be to cancel me. I'm such a flop all the time. But you walk in that way to think, I'm not perfect at all. This man, he probably just got it wrong. Let me show grace, let me show mercy in that way. Thank you for your story. yeah, one. Bit of advice. Anyone listening might be thinking, I've given up on Jesus, or I'm about to I don't know, yeah, in a bit of Peter Judas mode. What advice would you give? speaker-3: I would just say, God doesn't want your perfection, He just wants your surrender. He genuinely just wants your heart. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-3: Just posture your heart towards Him and just ask Him to reveal Himself because He is capable. And I think it's important for us to understand as well all these stories we read in the Bible, we have the same access to heaven as they did. It's the same God, it's the same Spirit and we just have to like utilise it and just understand as well like even if the circumstances don't look like that big vision that he's given you, he will do it, but just in his timing. And his thoughts are not our thoughts, like his ways are not our ways, holding, like just hold on. speaker-0: Yeah, great advice. speaker-1: If I knew someone who had posed that question, I would probably say something like, you are never too far away from the grace of God for him to be able to reach out to you. The Bible tells us that his arms are not short. He will reach out to you. know, thinking again of that parable of the prodigal son, one of my favourite parables. where it says that the son came to himself. He realised what he was doing. He was eating pig swill. And he suddenly realised, I've got a daddy who loves me, who lives in a big house and there's food there. What am I doing? And you know, as believers, can, there are times when we can come to ourselves or we should come to ourselves and recognise where we are. and realign ourselves back to God by asking for His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness. And believers can do that, but also non-believers can still also come to the throne of Christ by recognising where they are and aligning themselves back to Christ by His grace. speaker-0: Yeah. what a beautiful ending. Thank you so much. Thank you to all my lovely guests. Thank you very much. no, no, no, no. I feel so encouraged. I think my my takeaway from it all is just everyone saying what they have felt so loved by God about. And here he is, he's doing something very Un what if you was to think of God, you wouldn't think he would come down and wash your feet. Like he just It's speaker-2: to it. speaker-0: a very intimate thing to do and yet that's who he is and that's what he's come to do. So yeah, may this week be full of these kind of moments. But thank you so much for joining me. Thank you very much. Thank you. Woo! speaker-2: Thank you.