Introduction: Washing up is something we are all familiar with! Some of us take baths, others take showers. Usually we do that every day (I hope you do!) I lived with some farmers in Iowa one summer who bathed every Saturday night (only), so they would be clean for church on Sunday morning. We don't wear sandals all the time and walk in dirt streets, so we don't need to wash our feet often (maybe some of us should), but we all do wash our hands a lot. It's a very healthful thing to do! But here we find the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, and there is a lot we can learn from it...

I. We are reminded that we are in a battle with Satan (John 13:2).

• A. It was Satan who tempted Judas, and led him to sin.
• B. Satan is also tempting us, and opposing us (Ephesians 6:10-12).
• C. We are encouraged by James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

II. We are inspired by Jesus' purposefulness (John 13:3-5).

• A. Jesus never wasted time. He was always thinking and acting with a purpose.
• B. Here He was using his precious last moments with the disciples to imprint on their minds and hearts how He wanted them to live: as servants.
• C. We ought also to live purposefully every day (Colossians 4:5-6).

III. We are humbled by our lack of spiritual intelligence (John 13:7).

• A. Peter and the disciples were slow to understand, but they eventually "got it."
• B. Are we any better than they? Isn't there much in the Bible which is too hard for us?
• C. We cannot understand in our own strength, but we need the Spirit (John 14:25-26).
• D. When we read and study Scripture, we should do it prayerfully, asking for illumination.

IV. We are reminded that we need to be cleansed from sin (John 13:8-10).

• A. We need an all-over once for all cleansing. We receive that the moment we become believers in Jesus, and are washed in His blood (I John 1:7).
• B. But we also need a daily confession and cleansing from sin (I John 1:8-10).
• C. Have you been cleansed from sin? Have you received Jesus as your Savior and Lord?

V. We must take Jesus' lesson to heart, and learn to serve one another (John 13:12-17).

• A. It is not human nature to be humble and put others first.
• B. Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another.
• C. How are we doing with love and humble service?

Conclusion: Our closing hymn today is #451:

O Master let me walk with thee
In lowly paths of service free
Tell me thy secret, help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.