Fargo Memorial Day Conference-08 Until We Meet Again — William MacDonald

It's a privilege to be back at Fargo once again brings back all kinds of good memories. Great to hear you're singing. It's a privilege to be here with Jim McCarthy once again. Just like to mention that his book the gospel according to Rome is on sale back there also a video on Catholicism prices of faith.

I may have seen that video. It's also available in Spanish, I don't know if you have Spanish here or not, but I think Jim's book The gospel according to Rome is the definitive book on that subject today.

Jim waited till the new Catholic Catechism came out and his book is that and so it's really up to the minute and Very carefully done now working the book conversations with Catholic. So be sure to look at those books and the tapes out there in the book.

Morning. I'd like you to turn to John chapter 13. John chapter 13 beginning with verse 1 now before the feast of the Passover. When Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart from this world of the father.

Having loved his own who were in the world. He loved them to the end. And supper being ended the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot. Simon's son didn't pray him. Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hand and Then he had come from God and was going to God rose from supper.

Laid aside his garments took a towel and girded himself after that he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and To wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. Then he came to Simon Peter and Peter said to him Lord.

Are you washing my feet? Jesus answered and said to him what I am doing. You do not understand now, but you will know after this. He Peter said to him you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him.

I do not wash you you have no part with me. Simon Peter said to him Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him he would bathe. Needs only to wash his feet, but it's completely clean.

You are clean, but not all of you. But he knew who would betray him. Therefore he said you are not all clean. So when he had washed their feet taking his garments and sat down again, he said them, you know what I have done to you.

You call me teacher and Lord and you say well, but so I am. By then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet. You also ought to wash one another's feet for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.

Most assuredly I say to you a servant is not greater than his master. Nor is he who is sent greater than he sent him if you know these things. Happy are you if you do them. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow about this time.

What kind of thoughts would be going through your head? One more lunch one more supper one more breakfast. I see my last sunset. See my last sunrise. You married you probably should see my wife or my husband.

For the last time there'd be that parting. From the children look around the house well. Goodbye tomorrow this time. All the things that I've held dear down to you. Don't just eat your feet after this time tomorrow.

The incident I read to you. Took place on Thursday. And the Lord Jesus crucified on Friday. The kind of thoughts went through his mind. Dear friend diligently this passage is script is nothing about himself.

It's all about his disciples. What manner of man is it? Of course the answer is he's God manifested in the flesh. To me it's absolutely staggering. To think of him with his omniscience his perfect knowledge of what lay ahead.

And all I can think of is his disciples. His ministering to his disciples his teaching his disciples for the day that were to come. Recently I sent a manuscript to a professional publisher. Professional editor sorry to to look at over and I had used the word selfless with regard to mothers the selfless Devotion of mothers and she wrote back a cryptic remark no one.

Selfless. I mean you take a passage like this if you ever want the story of a selfless person. It's here in John 13 Verses 1 through 70 and as if that weren't enough you have the shadow of Judas. In the background all the time throughout this chapter and the Lord Jesus knew what was going to happen.

He knew it was going to betray him. And I could have thought a few words about that right. So we just want to look over this passage of Scripture and see what lessons the Lord has in it for us. It's sometimes called the Lord's farewell address to his disciples.

I Don't like that too much first of all it wasn't for a while. And They were going to see him at a very short time weren't they. He was going to die, but he was going to rise from the dead and they were going to see him again.

So I would like to call it using a German word Aus Wiedersehen until we meet again. That's the kind of an address was wasn't it not farewell, but until we meet again. Notice the omniscience of the Lord Jesus and of course It comes through.

Jesus’ Omniscience and Divine Identity

Throughout the passages throughout the New Testament. He knew that his hour had come that he should depart from the world to the Father. Several times in the Gospels Things started to happen, but they didn't happen because his hour had not come.

You remember in the wedding of Cain of Galilee and how Mary approached the Lord Jesus and told him that they had run out of wine and and Rather rebuked him for it. His hour hadn't come to display himself to manifest himself to the people at that time.

In chapter 7 Of this gospel verses 6 and 8 his brothers told him Why don't you leave Galilee and go down to Judea and manifest yourself to the disciples. Judea was where the pitiless animosity and hatred against the Lord Jesus was but His hour had not come.

Then in chapter 7 verse 30 the Jews thought to seize him down there in Jerusalem that they weren't able to Because his hour hadn't come and then you remember that the Greeks came some Greeks came and said to tell if we would see Jesus.

I think they wanted to take the Lord Jesus back to Athens as their kind of guru, you know. They loved philosophy the love of wisdom and they wanted to sit there in the marketplace and listen to Jesus talk.

But his hour Hadn't come. He said except a corn if we fall into the ground you die to hide us alone. But this diet bring us forth much fruit. Says having loved his own which were in the world. He loved them unto the end and that love is shown first of all here in his menial service to the disciples and Certainly shown in the following day when he goes to the cross for them.

Supper being ended probably a better translation and during supper instead of supper being ended. The devil already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to be pray him. What a mystery that man is.

It was predicted in the Old Testament that the Lord Jesus would be be prayed my own familiar friend and lifted up his heel against me. But Judas didn't have to be the one. Judas wasn't elected to be praying the Lord Jesus.

That was his own act. That was by his own Deliberate will and he became the classic example of an apostate. Imagine company with the Lord Jesus for three years. Hearing those incomparable words seeing those marvelous mysteries miracles miracles that no one had ever performed before and yet he betrayed the Lord of life and Glory, I think verse three is very very illuminating.

Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God once again his omniscience and it's also of course a statement as to his Deity that he had come from God.

You know, we can't say that we came from God and we didn't come from God. He by natural birth Jesus knew this he knew that he had come. That the father had given all things into his hands he had come from God he was going to God.

Now if the Lord Jesus had just been a man and I think it would have read something like this Jesus if he hadn't been God. Knowing that the father had given all things into his hands. He had come from God and was going to God he said.

Well That's the last I'll have to put up with these poor disciples. They're not a very dependable lot. I Spent a lot of time with them. Had a lot of heartache with them. But that's all over now and I'm going back to God and I'll be pleased on it all.

Knowing that the father had given all things into his hands. He had come from God and was going to God surprised. In other words in the full comprehension of his absolute deity his eternal existence and His oneness with God the father.

He took the apron of a slave. That's what the towel was it was the apron of a slave. He rose from supper. Laid aside his garments took a towel and girded himself wonderful wonderful Jesus. When I read these things, I don't know man ever wrote my Bible.

Man would never written the Bible. Absolutely marvelous the way it's put together. He was FW Grant said nobody who felt the force of it will ever deny the source of it. Nobody has to argue with me about the inspiration of the scriptures.

Years ago. I accepted the Bible by faith and ever since then God's been showing me this the Word of God. That's what he wants you to do if you have questions of the Bible. Questions about the Bible, you know, they're led inconsistencies and contradictions.

Accept it by faith. Let's tell you that it is the Word of God. You know verse 4 in a sense describes what he did in incarnation. He rose from supper and Laid aside his garments. That's the story of his incarnation.

It's an application of the first. He dwelt in absolute bliss with God the Father from all eternity and he rose from that place of unsullied fellowship and They decided comes that is the outward display of his deity the outward display the outward display of his deity.

He needed a side aside. He threw his most divine array unveiled his Godhead in a garb of clay. And in that garb this wondrous love display restoring what he never took away. That's what you have in the Lord Jesus here on earth.

You have God in a body of flesh body of flesh and blood and bones. God and in a sense the deity was veiled it was there all the time. I mean, we've already seen it in this chapter is a mission. But he veiled it.

And it's shown out at various times. I think it's shown out in the Sea of Galilee. Didn't it when he wrote and the winds and the waves obeyed? His I mean after that he poured water into a base and it began to wash the disciples feet to wipe them with a towel with which he was girded.

The Creator Washing His Disciples’ Feet

Imagine that your friend. This is the Creator Kneeling down and washing the dirty feet of his creatures. This is the one who threw the farthest galaxies into space and the one who Upholds all things at any particular moment by the word of his power.

He's down there on his knees watching his disciples feet. You see in those days. They didn't wear shoes and stockings today or socks. And they just had sandals and they walked around and their feet got dirty.

And in the Proper home when you went to that home if they had servants the servant would come and wash your feet. It was just a mark of courtesy. That's all and if they didn't have servants, maybe the host of the hostess would wash their feet.

But here it's the Lord of Glory washing the feet of men. I Said when I was studying this a week ago, I said to one of our dear young brothers there and Stanley and I said, yeah. What would you do if your creator the Lord Jesus Christ?

To wash your feet. He said I didn't like. And you know what he meant. He meant that would be out of order for him to do that to me. I'm the one that should be washing his feet. Peter didn't like it. He just didn't.

He didn't. He came to Simon Peter and Peter said him Lord, are you washing my feet and The word you there is Empathic. Lord, are you washing my feet? That's really the way it should be read. And Jesus answered and said to him what I am doing.

You do not understand now, but you will know. After this now Peter knew and all the disciples knew That he was washing their feet. He knew that and yet Jesus said what I do you do not know now. Which means that what he was doing was figurative.

What he was doing was symbolic. What he was doing had a Spiritual meaning connected with it. That's what he wanted them to understand, right? There are some Christian people who have a third ordinance ordinance to the Christian Church.

They have foot washes good people. For instance the great brethren. When on the Lake Indiana, they practice foot washing. So, why don't we practice foot washes and well. Because the Lord Jesus makes it very clear here.

First of all that it wasn't the physical act that was important, but the spiritual reality that lay behind. We believe there are two ordinances of the Christian Church baptism of the Lord's Supper. They're instituted in the Gospels.

They're practiced in the Acts and they're expounded in the epistles. You can't say that a foot washing. Although I don't object to those who do practice it. Because I know that their hearts are really right with God many of them.

But foot washing is not it's found here in the gospel. It's not practiced in the book of Acts. It's not expounded in the epistles either. Very interesting to me, you know. The Gospels all present the Lord Jesus in a different aspect.

Matthew presents him as. What? King good. Mark presents him as Luke presents him as Good and John presents him as King servant Man. Where would you expect it to be from art? He girded himself with the apron of the place.

He's down to watch it. But it isn't found in Mark. Is it? Found in John. What's the significance of it. Maybe the shock value of it. Think that God Manifests in the flesh is there in the upper room. Not to take your breath away.

Young people on this person not to blow your socks off. It's incomprehensible. I just stopped the thing. Yep. There he is. Peter said to him he shall never watch my feet. Never here is speaking to the Lord.

He's thinking you his master. He says you'll never like my feet. God that only God can say never that right? God can say never this never didn't last very long. Did it? Otherwise, he just didn't want to see Jesus answered if I do not wash you you have no part with me.

Regeneration, Fellowship, and the Washing of Feet

It's very important in this passage of Scripture. To understand that there are two different words for wash. Here in this passage of Scripture two different words and you really don't understand the passages you see.

I'm not sure it's made clear in the King James first. First of all is the word obeyed and you have that word down in verse 10 he who is bathed at the back and. Then you have washed here in verse 8 and it's a different word.

What is the significance of that? The Lord Jesus in this passage of Scripture is teaching one bath of regeneration many washings of the feet. The bath of regeneration speaks of the new birth, doesn't it?

It speaks about the time when we're saved when we're converted to God when we come to Christ and find peace through him and through the blood of his broth. The bath of regeneration. Titus speaks about that in his epistle.

Doesn't he the bath of regeneration. But the Lord Jesus is saying here, you know, Peter, you need one bath. You need many washes. If I don't wash your feet, you don't have any part with me. That is any fellowship with me any share with me.

The bath has to do with relationships. The washing has to do with fellowship and the Lord Jesus in verse 8 is talking about fellowship and it didn't come home to Peter without further explanation. So Simon Peter said to him Lord not my feet only but also my hands and my head.

Give me a bath all over that I want to have fellowship with you. And Jesus then made it clear he said he who was bathed. Does it say that in your bible he who is bathed. Does the king james say he was washed?

He's washed the king james. The new king james says he was bathed correctly. He was bathed means only to wash his feet. But it's completely clean and you are clean, but not all of you. Very good. I think it deals with that subject of the eternal security of the believer.

Just one bath of regeneration. Then many cleansings along the way, but you don't need to be saved again. Peter said not my feet only. But also my hands and my head. My hands what I do. My head what I think.

All but judas had been bathed. Turn to titus chapter 3 verse 5. Titus 3 verse 5. Just to get the connection there. Says not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration.

The bath the word there is bath the bath of regeneration. And renewing of the holy spirit and that's what the lord. Jesus is referring to here. We come to the lord jesus we repent of our sins we believe on him we receive the bath of.

It has nothing to do with baptism. In order to understand this passage of scripture keep baptism out of us all together. It has nothing to do with baptism. Whatever it has to do with relationship when you Trust the sinner savior.

You are related to god a new relationship. You're a child of god who faith in him. And relationship is forever. Nothing can break a relationship. You were born a son or daughter. Of your parents and nothing can ever change that you can disgrace them.

You can leave them in today's course of law. You can demolish them. You're still their son or daughter. You can't change the relationship some breakable change. But fellowship is a very tender thread, isn't it?

Very tender thread easily broken fellowship is broken by sin and it remains broken until that sin is confessed and forsaken. When the priest in the old testament was consecrated to god, he was given a bath.

Given a bath and then in his service for the lord at the temple or the tabernacle. He would go to the labor and wash his hands and feet frequently. Almost continuously in his service for the lord. And that's what the lord is pointing out here all but all but judas had been bathed but they still needed to wash their feet.

Judas, Apostasy, and the Necessity of Confession

Have their feet washed through confession of sin. You are clean but not all of you judas never had been saved. This is not an illustration of a person who was saved and then lost his salvation. He is very clear in this passage.

He's an illustration of one who never was saved at all. Verse 11. He knew who would betray him. Therefore. He said you are not all saved. They had not all received the bath of regeneration. Judas had never noticed again the omniscience of the lord.

Jesus. He knew who would be his disciples didn't know. They didn't know yet they had been living together all that time. So when he had washed their feet taken his garments and sat down again, he said to them, you know what i've done to you.

You call me teacher and lord and you say well for so I am if I then you're a lord and teacher have washed your feet. You also ought to wash one another's feet. Question. What does that mean to wash one another's feet?

I think there are two meanings of washing one another's feet in this passage of scripture first of all. Serve one another as the lord. Jesus sat down and served them and it was menial. So be willing to engage in menial service for your fellow disciples or your fellow.

But I think it means more than that. I think we wash one another's feet when we see something in a fellow believer. That is not honoring for the lord. Jesus. And we go to him and lovingly Speak to him about it.

Some are better at this than others. Some don't know how to do it without using salving water or using ice cold water. Because it's going to do it to me. You keep this water. You say give me an illustration.

Loving Correction as Spiritual Foot-Washing

Supposing I'm a contractor and you find out that I'm working on the job and I really haven't gone down to the city to get the required permit for the job. And nobody will ever know. Hopefully the inspector won't see me and you come in in a loving way.

First of all, you tell me Something good about me as you can think of it because. Because blame comes best on the back of praise, doesn't it? It's good to start the conversation with something positive.

Paul did that in most of his letters, didn't he? You go to chapter one of most of Paul's letters. He finds something praiseworthy in those to whom he's writing relations, of course, is the acceptance.

Blame comes best on the back of praise. So you go to this person and you say, you know, I would like to commend you for so and so and so. You know, it's come to my attention that you really Really didn't get the required building permit for the job you're working on and You think you should reconsider that, you know.

It really isn't ethical. Or maybe you find some sister and she She's found saying something that isn't true. And if you wash that person's feet by coming to them and just Talking to them lovingly about it.

It's washing one another's feet. It's wonderful if you can do with quoting a verse of scriptures. Years ago, I was driving a car with Emmaus keys down. Down south the car was closed and one of the fellows had graduated from Emmaus.

But he had gone to college and he was imbibing some doubts and denials about the scriptures. And so they were talking back and forth in the car. The conversation was very animated. It wasn't heated, but it was animated.

And finally one of the fellows, one of the quietest fellows I think that ever went through Emmaus. He just sat there and said Please my son. To hear the words of him that causally survive from the words of me.

If he had exploded an atomic bomb, it wouldn't have been any more effective. All he did, all he did was quote a verse of scriptures. I'll tell you that verse of scripture. Said it all. Another time I think I think the hunting season had just opened and one of our dear fellows had gone out hunting with his friends and The fellow behind him didn't have his safety on the gun and they were washing walking through a thicket, you know, and the The gun behind went off and just Hit him right in the back of the head.

He hit our team right in the back of the head. If it had been an inch lower He would have been killed. You talk about the sovereignty of crime. Well, he was rushed to the hospital and we got the news and we were all rushing to the hospital too.

And when he was recovering. One of our teachers, Chester Woodring, went to visit him. This fellow had been having problems with the Bible, having problems with doubts about the Bible. And Chester Woodring sat by his bedside and he said the Lord's a good shot, isn't he?

And the fellow said, what do you mean? Well, he said he hit you right in the place where you were having problems. The fellow said I'm not in the mood for any theological discussion. But he was reassured the Lord is A good shot, wasn't he?

And I think Chester was washing his feet that day. Washing his feet. He said, oh if I said anything to that person that might be the end of a beautiful friendship. It might be the beginning of a more beautiful friendship.

And that's usually the way. Usually the way. When we come to that place of confession in our own lives, confession that we're doing things that are not pleasing to the Lord. The only test for anything.

For any action or anything else in the Christian life is how it appears in the eyes of Christ. The only test. It's a good test to Apply when you're sitting before the television, isn't it? What about that show you're watching?

How does it appear in Christ's eyes? That solves an awful lot of problems In the Christian life. The only test for anything is how it appears in the eyes of Christ. So when he had washed their feet taken his garments and sat down again, he said to them Do you know what I have done to you?

You call me teacher and Lord and you say well, but so I am. The argument here isn't any feminist, but I'm Lord. What does Lord mean when we speak of the Lord Jesus as Lord. And if he lowers himself He gains such menial services in washing our feet.

How much more appropriate is it that we should wash one another's feet? It's interesting how often the Lord Jesus has to say this to his disciples, you know. Disciple is not about his man. We always think that we are we always think that we are.

I have given you an example that you should do. As I have done to you. What the Lord is saying and I think he says it to you and to me today is Either do what I say or stop calling me Lord. Either do what I say or stop calling me Lord.

Most assuredly I say to you verse 16 a servant is not greater than his master. Nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him one time. George Washington was Engaging in some very menial task In behalf of somebody else and somebody came to him and said mr. Washington You're too big a man for that.

And he said no, no, he said i'm just the right size. But sometimes he said you're too big for a bit of a lord. Jesus wasn't. I didn't feel that way if you know these things happy. Are you if you do them what the Lord is saying?

Knowledge is not enough. Obedience to chance, isn't that right? Not enough to know, you know the gnostics. That um, john speaks about so much in his first epistle. They thought knowledge was everything.

That's what the word means. They thought knowledge was in just know it just cram your head full of of knowledge of doctrine in their case. And false doctrine at that and then they said it doesn't make any difference how you live.

I think the teachers are very honest knowledge is not genius. So if you find me Using tricks With regard to payments to the government maybe on my income tax Returns I go to a christian mechanic a christian mechanic.

And um, I have trouble with my car and um, I say how much would it. How much would it cost to um, have this fixed in cincinnation? 150 dollars. 150. I said can't you do it for less than that? He said well 125 if you pay me in cash, what do you mean?

Why do you say that? He doesn't want to check. He doesn't want a visa card. He wants me to pay in cash. And i'll save 125. I'll take 25 dollars. I do. Well, of course what it means is that he's not going to declare it in his income tax.

That money just goes into his pocket. There's no way of creating. He doesn't even give me a receipt. And i'm just as guilty if I say well, yeah, well i'll do that. I don't care. I'll pay you in cash. Because it's not ethical and our master is always looking.

Never a time. When he is looking in california today, I don't. I don't I don't think it's that way here and I don't suppose in california there are thousands of people who drive a car without a driver's license or insurance.

And if a man gets his license taken away because he's drunk. Then he just keeps on driving. I want to tell you today there are. Every time you turn around there are temptations for christians to engage in practices that are not ethical.

And you get away with it. Here in this life. But a christian cannot sin to get away with it. A christian can't sin and get away with it. And that's why if we see something and those who are fellow believers Our responsibility is to wash Their feet.

Perhaps you notice that i'm Getting cold. I'm drifting away from regular attendance at meetings of the assembly. Good time to wash my feet. I've been Polluted by the world and you know, it's impossible.

It's impossible for christian to walk through this world without getting the future. I mean, you look at the billboard. You look at tv and listen to the radio read read the newspaper. I mean, it's exiling.

You can talk openly about things that 30 years ago. I mean you can discuss them. You'd be embarrassed to discuss. It's all out in the open today. But i've taken something that doesn't belong to me, you know about it wash my feet speak to me about it.

They follow the wounds of a friend. So the lord jesus here is talking about. Is talking about service to one another washing their feet, but the spiritual application is what's really important. We love one another we're to share with one another about these things holding scriptures to one another.

Comfort Through Scripture and the Call to Repentance

By way of comfort. With all the rest dr. Ironside was a great one of knowing how to quote the appropriate scripture at the right time. I remember when my mother died and our family was plunged into sadness and uh.

People came and people are christian for some nights and they try to say things that are comforting and helpful. And yet it didn't work and yet he he's a squab. He wrote something like a chicken going across the page.

He wrote um a short note to us and at bottom he said 35 30 verse 5 weeping may endure for a night. But joys come up in the morning, you know, that snaps our tongue. He was washing our feet. By quoting the right verse at the right time weeping may endure for a night.

I hope you've all had the bath of regeneration if you haven't. And you were told that you're going to die within 24 hours. What thoughts would be going through your mind. I'll tell you just think about repenting.

In coming to the lord. Jesus if you do belong to the lord, you've had the bath of regeneration. But you need the foot washing to stay close to the lord. Day by day. We cleanse us through confession of sins.

We confess our sins faithful and just to forgive us our sins to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.