John 13: 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.16 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.17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
This sums up what Jesus did the final night before the cross. He wanted us to know the importance of what he was going to do. We’ve never known any age but the age of grace. It will end when the trumpet sounds with the rapture of the church. The devil is working. Man is abandoning God. Though the world abandons what this all means, remember God doesn’t abandon us. He still saves. Jesus pledges to be our Savior all the way. If we apply what we know, not only will we make it though, we will be happy doing so.
It’s hard to be happy these days in life itself. Our hope in the Lord remains when we remain and do what we’re taught. We are not wasting our time and throwing away our lives by trusting in the Lord. Regardless of what the world may tell us or what others do, living for God is still worth it. In the simplicity of the table and the basin is our salvation. It’s the foundation of our sanity. We’re led by craziness. Anything goes. Christians are branded as lunatics because of the stand we take. We will not stand before this world to be judged. We will stand before God. Everyone in this church should be willing to observe these ordinances. These have been the answers for our needs. The cross and how Jesus humbled himself is the answer for our every need. We’ve seen hard times, but we’ve been taken care of. It pays to stick with the cross. The giving of his body and the shedding of his blood gives us the opportunity to live right and serve one another. If we do these things—what we know to do—we will have happiness. Without Jesus there is no hope. Without him we have no life. In the midst of the darkness in this world, we are alive. Because of his death we can love and help each other. We have something we can’t have any other way. The devil can’t give it to us; he never had it to give.
We’re called upon to remember what Jesus did. Even if we are burdened down we can be happy when we do what we know to do. King Jehoshaphat told the people to play and sing the songs of Zion instead of draw their swords against their enemy. They honored God, and he took care of them. To know the bread and cup is to know salvation. Through his broken and bloody body we don’t have to be broken and bleeding. Our sins are forgiven through Jesus and the cruelty of the cross. Our sins were cruel yet Jesus bore them so we could have release from them and have happiness and joy. If we trust him we can keep on going with a smile. It’s hard to do when you’re suffering in body, but we can be happy inside.
Not only did Jesus show us what it’s all about by breaking the bread and giving the cup, he illustrated what we should do by condescending and laying aside himself. No matter how hard Jesus sought relief, he had none. He had no place to lay his head. Many people were against him. He took it all so we could be brought from it. 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. This lets us know that if Jesus can do it, we can. In this time of discontentment we can know contentment. Jesus showed underserving love to all when he broke the bread and passed the cup and then washed their feet.
Our righteousness is typified in the table, the basin, and the towel. We do this in remembrance of what he did. It’s an honor to be part of a service such as this. Our whole life and our happiness are in it. Let’s remember where our happiness is.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 