Authority to Serve

Good morning everyone, I'm Nate Gustafson, the location pastor for our upcoming third location launching this fall. Have you ever faced something difficult in life that you'd love to change, but you feel powerless to do anything about it?

Like, Finding a matching Tupperware container and lid. We have forty-two containers and somehow sixty-eight lids, and yet, nothing matches. Its like there is a portal in the back of the cabinet that eats the one size I need.

Or trying to decide where to eat. After 23 years of marriage, Kristin and I still play the game: 'You decide.' 'No, you decide.' And when one of us finally does? The other says, 'No, I don't want that.'

Now those are some funny examples, but there are serious situations where feeling powerless isn't humorous. Like the deep division in our world, such hostility and hatred in relationships, and it seems to get worse by the day. We can feel so powerless to stop it!

Today, Jesus will show us a way of life that has the power to destroy divisions, heal hatred, and restore relaAonships. We will see how Jesus’ uses his authority that gives us deep insight into who God is and, who he has called us to be.

Let’s turn to John 13:1 in the Bible.

God’s truth is so essential that each week we invite everyone to open a Bible, whether it’s the one you brought or there is one at your chair, so we can read God’s word together. You can find the passage on page 735, in the Bible at your chair. Then find the Big number 13.

At this stage in Jesus' life, the situaAon was extremely tense. He had been teaching in a groundbreaking way that aZracted many followers, but many religious leaders despised him. They felt threatened by his challenge to their authority and influence, and they wanted him GONE. A plot to kill Jesus was unfolding, and Jesus and his disciples were aware of it.

In John 13, it’s less than 24 hours before Jesus's crucifixion. So, Jesus gathers his disciples together to teach them incredibly important things we see in John 13-17 on the mission we are called to live out. Then Jesus does one of the most profound things in all of history…

13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

There are a few important points to note here. In verse 1, we see that Jesus was contemplaAng that the hour had come to face his death, that he would return to the Father to rule all the universe for eternity, and that his love for his followers is truly endless.

Then, it says in verse 3, it says Jesus knew that all things were put under his power. Which means he holds absolute authority. He IS the greatest.

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But did you noAce in verse 2, John points out that Judas is there, the one who betrayed Jesus, to get Him killed…

Just imagine having all authority in your hands—everything under your control. What would you do in that moment with Judas sibng right there? Really think about it for a moment, what would the world tell us to do?

If I had everything in my power and knew what Judas was going to do, I'd take him out right there. Poof, bam! Gone!

Well, let’s see what Jesus did with his infinite power and authority…

4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 AFer that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus had all authority as KING of the universe, SO he washed the disciples’ feet, he used his power to lic the disciples up in an ulAmate act of servanthood.

In this moment,

1. Jesus reveals His perfect love by using His authority to serve.

This foot washing is a profound symbol of Jesus authority in acAon.

This moment would have been jaw-dropping for the people in Jesus day for several reasons.

1. They lived in a hot, dry climate where people wore sandals on the dirt roads, walking alongside animals whose feet lec their feet NASTY.

2. Washing feet was the duty of lowest servants or slaves.

3. In Jewish tradiAon, it was unthinkable for a teacher like Jesus to wash his followers’ feet.

To grasp how shocking this was, imagine meeAng your absolute favorite superstar—Anyone in the world, you would love to meet and REALLY respect. Got them in mind? You hit it off, invite them to your house, and amazingly, they show up.

So, you're hanging with your friends and your guest of honor, then you excuse yourself to the bathroom. You flush, and the worst happens: the toilet clogs, overflows, and the filthy water spills out into the middle of the room where everyone is sibng.

You are absolutely morAfied. Now imagine your guest of honor saying, 'Hey, don’t worry, I got this.' They walk into the mess, fix the toilet, and actually get down on their hands and knees to scrub your floor clean.

Feel how crazy that would be for a second. Well, that just scratches the surface of how shocking it was for Jesus to wash His disciples' feet.

Yet, Jesus wasn’t just some guy, he IS God!

Here is what is baffling about Jesus. Jesus constantly claims to be God on earth, like in John 12 where he says to see Him is to see God. He shows it with his authority to miraculously stop the storm, to heal, to forgive sins, and to give eternal life.

Mohammed, Buddha, and other religious leaders, never claim to be God, but Jesus does. So, he makes the HIGHEST claim possible.

Yet, at the same Cme, Jesus is constantly serving in such humble ways. Loving others so sensiCvely.

In the gospels, Jesus is constantly touching the untouchable, seeing the unseen, eating with outcasts, and helping the helpless.

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It just doesn’t make sense. How can Jesus be God and serve so selflessly?? Because, as 1 John 4:8 puts it,

God is love, which means

The essence of God's greatness is self-giving love. (Subpoint of point 1)

We can clearly see this in the ChrisAan doctrine of the Trinity, which states that God is one being, and within that being are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While trying to fully understand this can literally hurt my head, what maZers today is that for all eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit have known and loved each other.

What is love? It's glorifying, delighCng in, upliQing, and giving oneself to another. So, when Jesus left heaven to come to earth and serve us, He was just doing what he has always been doing!

While other religions might argue that God is too mighty to become human and die for us, Christians believe that God's true greatness is revealed in His willingness to sacrifice His life out of love.

Jesus was completely secure in His power, so He was completely free to serve. So,

Jesus serving is not an excepAon to His power; it is the ulAmate expression of it. (Subpoint of point 1)

But here is where it gets crazy, look at when and who Jesus was serving.

Jesus served in the midst of the overwhelming pain of going to his death and bearing the weight of all of humanity’s sin.

Usually, suffering makes us focus only on ourselves. I mean, I stub my toe, and all I can think of how much is hurts, also why is it that a pinky toe can hurt so much??

Yet in indescribable pain, Jesus serves. He doesn’t use his authority to escape his pain; he uses it to strengthen and lift up the disciples.

When we consider WHO he was serving, it’s even more astonishing. We know that within a few hours, Peter would deny even knowing Jesus, and the rest of the disciples would abandon Him.

Then there is Judas, Jesus’ betrayer. Jesus washed his feet too.

I just want you in your mind’s eye, to watch Jesus, God on earth, completely give Himself to washing their feet. To rise from supper, lay aside His outer garments. Take a towel and pour water into a basin.

Then kneel before Judas, hold his feet gently in his hands, and carefully wash away the dirt from his secret meeAng with those planning to kill Jesus.

This demonstrates

Jesus loves the unworthy uncondiConally.

Friends, do you see what this means for you?

You might think that Jesus wants nothing to do with you and that there's no way He could love you acer what you've done. I used to believe that, I would think about how many Ames I had

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turned away from God, betrayed Him, done what is wrong and honestly didn’t care. Which lec me feeling hopeless, like God had to be fed up with me, done with me.

But GET THIS NOW AND FOR ALWAYS, Tim Keller states

Jesus doesn’t love you because you are great, He loves you because HE is great. Jesus doesn’t love you because you’re perfect; he loves you because he’s perfect. – Tim Keller

This moment shows Jesus' uncondiAonal love—that no maZer how ugly things get or how far you’ve gone, Jesus loves you, endlessly.

In fact, Jesus gave His life for you on the cross so you could be brought into His family FOREVER.

Once we enter into a relaAonship with Him, He will never ever ever leave. In His authority, He will conAnue to serve you, heal you, and restore you. So, there’s never any reason run from Jesus.

Because once God puts His love on you, nothing can stop it, not even a million failures. Jesus' love is unstoppable. Amen!?!

So, Jesus gives us this INCREDIBLE example of his authority to serve and then he tells us exactly what this means for our life. Look at verse 12.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

I love how Jesus gets straight to the point in verse 12 when he asks, “Do you understand what I have done for you?”

He says as your master, teacher and Lord, I am redefining what greatness is, I am redefining how to use your authority, your influence, your gics. To put it clearly,

2. Jesus commands us to use our authority to serve

The truth is, we all have authority, we have impact, on those around us. Especially as Christians who have the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to use that power to lift others up.

Jesus is clear, it is a command, a mandate, not a suggesAon, that we should follow his example in washing one another’s feet.

Now, this doesn’t mean I start asking everyone to take off their shoes so I can wash their feet, its symbolic…

In Verse 15 it shows that Jesus SETS this example to demonstate that to be alive, to be great, is to serve in extraordinary ways.

To become people who follow the command, Jesus must transform our attitude and our actions.

To change our abtude, we need a new way to measure greatness.

Currently, the world measures greatness by the number of people who serve you and the likes or followers you receive. Yet,

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- Jesus measures greatness by your heart to serve others. (This is a subpoint of 2)

Jesus example and teaching show that the way to the top in the kingdom of God, is humbling yourself down. This is why Jesus teaches that the last will be first, the humble will be exalted

The way to true influence and power is to serve, to lay your life down for others, trusAng God to take care of your needs.

Jesus is turning things upside down by showing us that there is a deep blessing in serving others in simple, menial, and sacrificial ways.

This hits hard because I’m a dad of five. Kids are wonderful, but when they’re young their basically Any tornadoes. Its like you clean up a room and they are like na, and start chucking stuff…Now, they are teens, and somehow there is always a pile of dishes, and I am grumbling in my head, thinking, ‘ why is it so hard to put dishes in a dishwasher? I shouldn’t have to do this.'

But then Jesus used this passage this week to flip the script. He doing the dishes is the deep work of loving my family, of meeAng their needs, and that when I serve them, I am serving GOD. He has shown me that those household chores become a holy thing, a loving thing, that fills my heart with joy.

So, Joining Jesus in His servant-hearted work brings purpose to the mess.

Serving others can also look like washing away the dirt and the dust of defeat and discouragement our world covers us in by offering words of hope and encouragement to people who are struggling.

God recently challenged me to start asking people I cross paths with—cashiers, neighbors, restaurant servers—if I can pray for them. Like saying at a restaurant to your server, We are going to pray for our meal in a moment, is there any way we could pray for you? Some people say no, someAmes it is a liZle awkward, yet other Ames I am amazed.

A couple of weeks ago, at my son's doctor’s appointment, I asked our doctor if we could pray for her. She instantly began to cry, deeply moved that someone would even ask. It led to a beauAful, unexpected moment of connecAon, a chance to share about our community at RenovaAon Church and prayer right there in the clinic.

Ultimately, God can bring so much healing through our words of encouragement; he can bring restoration as we serve others with our words and prayers!!

Brothers and sisters, God has called us to be foot-washers, where no one is too big for the small things.

This is why it is so essenCal that we see RenovaCon Church is NOT a cruise ship, it is a row boat, so pick up an oar and SERVE. Its what you were made for!

One AMAZING way to serve that I hope many of you are praying about is joining my family and me in launching a new RenovaAon Church locaAon this fall to create more space for people to know and follow Jesus!

It is to be a defining characterisAc of our lives to humbly serve those who don’t expect it and those who are unable to repay it.

Which leads to a profound implicaAon of the following Jesus’ command to serve that must show up in our acAons.

- Jesus calls us to serve our enemies. (this is a subpoint of 2)

Jesus serving Judas, his betrayer, sets this incredible and difficult standard.

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Especially in a divided world, where showing sympathy and care for anyone we disagree with has been thrown out the window. Sadly, a 2024 Pew Research study found that nearly half of Americans believe members of the opposing poliAcal party are “downright evil”.

Friends, if we approach others assuming they are downright evil and a lost cause, it's no wonder we treat them so badly.

Yet, it is clear here that Christians should take the lead in being respectful and kind to people who oppose them. Jesus clearly called us to see ALL everyone as people he created, died for, and loves — individuals who are deeply valuable and whom we are privileged to love.

Now, I know I know, it is incredibly hard, but isn’t that what Jesus has done for each one of us when we were HIS enemies.

If the King of the Universe can wash the feet of his enemies, then there is no one 'beneath' you that you are not called to serve.

I know that some of you may be thinking, Nate, it would kill me to serve my enemies. But the truth is, aZacking your enemies is actually what is killing you.

God is so clear, we were not made to hate, we’re not made to divide, we’re not made to destroy other people. We were made to LOVE, to SERVE, to GIVE.

In Verse 17, Jesus is clear, serving, even your enemy, is a blessing.

This is a blessing because it frees you from others' control.

We would all say we want to be good, loving people. Yet when others treat us badly, we can become what we despise. They hurt us, so we hurt them; they say hurtul things, and we respond in kind. Especially on social media, it is so so toxic.

But do you see what's happening?

a. Their acAons control ours, as that one hurtul comment causes us to lash out and then jusAfy it by saying, 'Well, did you see what they did?'

b. It's like we regress to our childlike selves. We know that tearing others down, ignoring their perspective, and judging them as hopeless doesn’t solve anything, it doesn’t help change how people see things. Plus, it’s not how we’d want to be treated either.

But what if we choose to die to our way of doing things, submit to God and, in his power, serve our enemies?

a. What if we were generous with them, listening to them, striving to understand where they are coming from, and assuming the best about them? It would fundamentally change the relaAonship.

b. It would actually create a healthy space to challenge each other, share different viewpoints, and ask for changes in line with God’s truth.

c. Serving our enemies doesn’t mean we don’t challenge them, but it totally changes how we challenge.

See, as we let go of control to follow Jesus, He leads you to live with a consistent character, driven not by worldly chaos but by His constant love, which transforms your interactions, in person and online.

Can you SEE what a transforming and healing impact this will have on our community, divided by evil and hate.

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Just imagine what would happen in your family when conflicts arise, and Jesus leads you to listen with love rather than get defensive. Think about how small acts of kindness can rebuild your connecAon with your child, parent, or friend when things have gone off track.

One of the greatest blessings is that when you serve, when you give generously, there is a joy that flows from a life well-lived. Yes, it will be hard, it may be humiliaAng, but in obedience, in laying down our lives, we will learn to live like Jesus!

Yet, we have to be honest, this is a radical way of living, one that someAmes will seem impossible to choose when we are so easily selfish. We need incredible strength if we are going to embrace the footwashing lifestyle.

The power to serve is found in daily reflecCng on the greatness of what Jesus has done for you!

When we are daily awestruck by how Jesus has served us daily—the incredible beauty and depth of His love, you realize how incredibly blessed you are, which FUELS our desire to serve!

There is a powerful story about Tsar Nicholas I, a king in Russia in the 1800s, and a young officer who was entrusted with military money that he gambled away, losing a massive fortune of government funds.

When he got notice of a surprise audit to check on the money, he totaled his debt on a ledger, and it was over $150,000 in today’s money. Overwhelmed by the amount and by shame, he wrote a single, desperate question on the ledger: "A great debt; who can pay?" Planning to end his life at midnight, he fell into a deep sleep.

That night, the King, disguised as a common soldier, discovered the officer asleep at his desk. He saw the records—the theft, the gambling, and the betrayal—but he also saw the desperate note. Moved by grace, the King picked up a pen and wrote under the question, "A great debt; who can pay?" one word, his name, "Nicholas".

When the officer awoke he was going take his life, but then his eyes caught the ledger. He realized the King had seen the absolute worst of his guilt, yet personally signed for the debt. He didn't have to die; the King paid it all!

This is what Jesus has done for us. The most powerful way that Jesus used his authority to serve was by giving his life for you on the cross. He's the King of the Universe. He didn't need to do that. But for you, he served, and gave his life, dying in your place.

Why? Because we all have sinned, we all have done wrong, in our selfishness hurt others. And our sin deserves punishment, it deserves the judgment of a perfect God who must bring justice that means we deserve eternal death in hell apart from God.

Yet, because God loves us, Jesus took our death, by dieing on the cross, so we could have his life and become children of God for eternity.

He paid the insurmountable price FOR YOU. Sit with that for a moment.

1. Let’s just have everyone bow their head and close their eyes now.

1. If you’ve never done this before, and you want to believe in Jesus and turn your life over to Him

1. I urge you to respond.

1. If that’s you, as a way to mark this day, and tell Him that you believe, in just a second, I’m going to ask you to stand up.

2. Everyone has their eyes closed, so don’t think about that.

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1. If you need to tell Jesus that you believe, and you need His

forgiveness…

2. If you’re ready to surrender to Him…

1. Stand up!

• If no one responds: We didn’t see anyone respond during this service, but we know that God is working and many more today will have a chance to respond in the other services.

1. For those of you standing, I want to pray with you.

1. The Bible says we should believe in our hearts, but also confess Jesus with our mouths as our savior.

a. So would you just repeat this out loud after me…whether you’re a brand new believer or have been one for quite some time.

2. Repeat after me

1. Dear God

1. I confess to you, that I have sinned against you.

2. But God I believe, that you sent your Son Jesus, to take my place

3. And God I thank you, for forgiving my sins.

4. And now I commit, to following you, with my life. Amen.

1. For those of you that just gave your life to Christ, I’ll come back up and give you some next steps at the end of the service.