Sunday, April 5, 2020

Confessing Our Need for Jesus Christ

By now, it seems that everyone on the planet has heard of the Coronavirus known as COVID19 and everyone around the world is doing whatever they can to avoid it. It's a deadly virus and it is still taking its toll on nations around the world including ours, the United States. If that news isn't bad enough, our pastor presented to us today even worse news of something even more deadly than COVID19. The following are my Bible study notes based on my pastor's sermon titled "Confessing Our Need for Jesus Christ."

You are invited to watch, listen, and worship with us here.

The bad news is that we all already have a deadly virus. It's called sin. This virus of sin is more deadly than COVID19 because it separates us from God and can separate us from Him for all of eternity, but there is a cure. The cure is Jesus.

Our scripture passage for today is John 13:5-17.

Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

In the upper room where Jesus and His disciples gathered, Jesus washed his disciples' feet. Jesus was signifying that He was the only One who could cleanse their feet. In John 13:11, Jesus told the disciples that there was one among them who was not clean.

Are you like that one disciple? Do you have a clean heart?

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9

Our hearts are deceitful.

Now back to the virus of sin. How did we get it? We got it from Adam.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. - Romans 5:12

When Adam and Eve sinned, we inherited the virus of sin from them. The only cure is Jesus. He died so that we can be forgiven.

In John 13:10 (above), Jesus knew that someone wasn't clean. Are you clean?

Confessing Our Need for Jesus Christ

Who needs to be clean? All of us. We need to confess to Jesus our need for Him. When we receive Jesus as our Savior, He saves us - like a full bath. We are clean but sometimes we get worldly dirt on us. When this happens, we need a washing, but not like a full bath. It's more like the washing of feet.

How do we get clean? We confess like Peter did. When we confess our need for Jesus, we are in agreement with God. We don't try to justify our sin, but we confess our sin and our need for Jesus.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9

Peter confessed his need and asked Jesus to wash him. When we confess our sin to God, we are admitting His ability to forgive us. Even the worst of sins can be forgiven. Whatever sin is coming to your mind right now, God can forgive.

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? - Romans 8:33-35

Jesus is our final substitute. He is sufficient.

What is the reason for being made clean? If we are not made clean, we are separated from God. We will not have a relationship with Jesus, but we need a relationship with Jesus. When we are truly saved, we will have a relationship with Jesus, but sin interrupts our fellowship with Him. Sin can cause spiritual defeat in our lives.

How often must we experience a cleansing? We need a cleansing whenever we have a conviction about sin.

But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7

We need to be walking in God's light.

In Tim Keller's book titled "Quick Strike," he asks himself a few questions. He asks:

Do I have a heart of pride?
Do I have a cold heart?
Am I afraid?
Am I hooked (like an addiction or anything that doesn't please the Lord)?

How do we help others experience becoming clean? We need to be clothed in humility. We need to recognize our own weaknesses. We need to know that we are all fellow sufferers. We need to confess that we all need Jesus.

God can use our brokenness for His honor and glory.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. - James 5:16

As Jesus ministers to us, we are to minister and serve others.

To summarize:

The bad news is that we all have virus called sin.

The good news is that Jesus is the cure.

We need a relationship with Jesus and we can have a relationship with Jesus.