GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 22

Our  book this month  is a continuation of “Chiseled by the Master’s Hand ~ Lessons From the Life of Peter,” by Erwin  Lutzer.  Dr. Lutzer is  Canadian-born and served as Senior Pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago for 36 years, until his retirement in 2016.   He now serves as Pastor Emeritus of Moody Church.  He’s written many books and has radio and internet teaching programs.

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THE MASTER’S HUMBLE TOUCH

(Read John 13:1-20)

A LESSON ON CLEANSING (Cont’d)

Christ invites us to His table, but we must have clean feet and hands.  “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.”  (Revelation 3:20).  To come with the mud and impurity of the world is to cut ourselves off from the sweetness of His love and the intimacy He so fervently desires.

The closer we come to Calvary, the more dirt we will see on our feet.  Even the smallest specks of mud become visible while standing in the presence of Christ.  Even the most insignificant sin will become a millstone around our necks.  “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”  (1 Corinthians 5:6)  Tozer said, “That part of us which we try to rescue from the cross becomes the seat of our troubles.”

One man  among the circle of disciples did not have his feet washed (figuratively, not literally).  Jesus said to Peter, “You are clean, but not all of you.”  (John 13:20).  John, who was recording this story, adds, “For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

Peter needed his feet washed;  Judas had never had a bath!  This apostate was apparently able to do the same miracles as the other disciples, and was such a crafty hypocrite that he did not attract special notice.  When Christ said to the group, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” (John 13:21), to their everlasting credit they did not suspect Judas, but asked, “Is it I?”  (Matthew 26:21-22).

Just imagine: Judas was with Jesus for three years, playing the religious game so well that the disciples did not suspect that he was the one who would betray their Lord.  He walked the walk and talked the talk with incredible hypocrisy.  But in the end, he was unwashed and lost forever.  Though Christ had washed Judas’ feet, Christ had never washed his heart.  Even today there are many whom we believe to be Christians, but who someday will be revealed as frauds, wholly filled with the fruit of hypocrisy.  Christ said of Judas, “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” 

What is the bottom line? 

IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN WASHED BY Christ, you are dirty, no matter how pleasant you appear to be on the outside.  The humility that caused Christ to stoop from the glories of heaven to the dirt of the washbasin is the same humility we must have to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Only He can speak us clean;  He can give us the bath that leads to heaven;  and He can keep us cleansed as we walk through this dirty world.

Peter learned that humility is an attribute of a man of God.  It makes a rough stone smooth, and a sinner a little bit more like Christ.

Will you let Him wash you?

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Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

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1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

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Hebrews 10:22

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

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Revelation 1:5

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

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Revelation 7:14

And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

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1Peter 1:3-9

as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

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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.

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