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(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Pastor Tom Holliday, and I want to welcome you to Daily
Drive Time Devotions. We're studying together through the Gospel of John, this
week in chapter 13 of the Gospel of John. Let me begin day one at looking at
this chapter by reading to you John chapter 13, verse one.

It was just before the Passover feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him
to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the
world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

At the beginning of John 13, it was the night before Jesus was to die on the
cross. He and his disciples had gathered in an upper room to share an important
meal together, the annual Passover meal. These Jewish men, Jesus's 12 disciples,
they'd enjoyed the Passover celebration their entire lives.

Every one of them would have deep, rich, emotional memories of celebrating the
Passover with family from their childhood. Memories of enjoying a meal
wonderfully prepared by their mother, of laughing with brothers and sisters, of
hearing the youngest child ask, "Why is this night different from all other
nights? " Of listening to their father recite with pride of faith and family the
blessings that are a part of that Passover meal.

(speaking in foreign language) But this night, this night was different. The
joyful memories are overshadowed in that upper room where they met with more
pressing feelings. Jesus had told his followers that he was soon to die, but
they did not understand.

That confusion had created a tension between them. And to add to that tension,
Jesus tells them during this meal that one of these disciples was going to betray
him. It was a night of sideways glances, hushed conversations, and stubborn
hearts.

But it was also, it was also a night of a new commandment and washed feet, a
Lord's Supper, and changed hearts. There is a feeling, even in verse one of
chapter 13 of John, there's this feeling that you're there for one of the most
significant events, one of the most significant moments in all of history. This
is a night that changes lives.

It's a night that can change your life, as you and I read about it today. It was
a night that changed the disciple John's life, the disciple who wrote this
gospel of John. It changed his life.

He was never the same again. This was a night that became the theme of his life.
And John 13, verse one, it is such an amazing verse.

I believe that this verse looks all the way back to all that was previous in the
gospel of John, and it looks all the way forward to all that's going to follow in
the gospel of John. This verse is set up by all that happened in the book of
John before this verse, and it expresses all that's going to happen after this
verse. Looking back, you noticed it says, having loved his own who are in the
world.

That's what we see in the gospel of John, how Jesus loved his own who are in the
world. Back to the beginning of this chapter, chapter 13, we're told that it was
just before the Passover feast. You might remember as we've been walking through
the gospel of John, we've been noticing the Passover feast, and this is the
third Passover that we're going to celebrate together in the gospel of John, and
John notes all of them.

We've seen again and again as we walk with Jesus through what God's done in and
through his life, that the Father has a plan, and that that plan, as Jesus
expresses it, is that the light will only be in the world a short time, and so
good deeds need to be done while the light is shining, so people need to respond
while the light is shining, and we've seen through the gospel of John, having
loved his own who are in the world, we've seen through Jesus' miracles, we've
seen through his actions, we've seen through his love, the fact that he deeply
loves his own who are in the world. Having loved his own who are in the world,
he now showed them the full extent of his love. That phrase, he showed them the
full extent of his love, that phrase is the introduction to all that's going to
happen in the rest of this gospel.

Literally, that phrase is he loved them to the end. Having loved them, he loved
them to the end. It doesn't mean just to the final day, though.

It has deeper meaning than that. It's the full extent, it means all the way
through, giving his all, Jesus loved with his all, and Jesus did that. In the
rest of the gospel of John, we're going to see first in this upper room, as Jesus
washed their feet, he showed them the full extent of his love.

As he taught them about abiding in him, he showed them the full extent of his
love. As he spoke of the Holy Spirit, as he prayed the high priestly prayer, as
he was arrested and as he was abused, he was showing them, he was showing us, he
was showing you the full extent of his love. As he went to the cross, as he
suffered on the cross, as he gave up his life, as he was laid in the tomb, he
shows us the full extent of his love.

And as he was resurrected from the dead, as he encouraged his disciples after
the resurrection, in all of this, he showed the full extent of his love. There
is something to me as we enter in to John chapter 13. John chapter 13 and
forward, to me, is the holy of holies of the book of John.

Let me explain what I mean. Because the temple where the sacrifices were made in
the Old Testament, or the tabernacle that existed before that temple, because
that temple or tabernacle is a picture of Jesus Christ, John pictures for us the
temple as we walk through this book. At the doorway of the temple, there was a
laver with water in it for purification.

And Jesus shows that he's the fulfillment of that when he says, "I'm the living
water. " We see that in the book of John. The temple itself, as you entered into
it, had two rooms, one in the front and one in the back.

In the first room, as you entered, there was a table with bread, showbread.
Jesus has told us in the book of John, "He is the bread of life. " He is the
fulfillment of what was on that table.

In that room, as you entered, there was a lamp stand. Jesus has told us in the
book of John, "He is the light of the world. " He is the fulfillment of that
lamp stand.

In the temple, there is one other room. It's the Holy of Holies. Behind a heavy
curtain was this place of God's presence.

That was the place where everyone knew the presence of God abided. That was the
place into which only the high priest could go and only once a year to make
sacrifice for the people's sins. That as we enter into John chapter 13, I have
this sense that we're entering into the Holy of Holies of the book of John.

As you even go back behind the curtain, even as this chapter starts, there's
this sense of the intimate presence of God. And in that Holy of Holies was the
mercy seat. That was the place of sacrifice, where sacrifices were made so that
the people's sins would be forgiven.

The cross, the cross of Jesus Christ is the place of sacrifice through which God
made once for all a sacrifice, a sacrifice of himself as only son so that our
sins could be forgiven. So as we enter in to this 13th chapter of the book of
John, as we look forward to what's going to happen in our hearts, I want to take some
moments today, maybe a few more moments than usual to talk to God about what he
wants to do. As we pray together, I would invite you to pray for what these
chapters, John 13 and forward, are going to do in your heart.

If only we'll have faith, God will work in our hearts. Take some moments to say,
Jesus Christ, I pray that as we look together at who you are and what you did in
these last few hours of your life on this earth and in those hours of your life
after your resurrection, that you would do something in my heart. You do
something in my life that's above and beyond what I could expect or imagine.

Jesus, as we study together what it means for you to serve us, help me to learn
about serving others. Jesus, as I hear you talking about what it means to not
let my heart be troubled, I pray that a peace would come upon me that could only
be explained by your grace and power. Jesus, I pray as I hear you teach in these
chapters about your Holy Spirit, that I'd realize that you are with me, that I'm
not alone like never before.

That fact in my mind would move to a deep conviction in my heart. As I hear you
pray for me, Jesus, in these chapters, I pray that I would know like never
before the meaning of that prayer for unity and faith. And Jesus, as we look
forward to what it means that you died for us and were resurrected for us, I
pray that that would be personal like never before.

I'd see what you want to do in my life today. There is a sense, Jesus, that I am
entering into a holy place as I walk into these chapters. It's a quiet place of
the soul where I know you want to do something in my life.

And I ask Jesus that you would. I ask that you would work in my heart, you would
work in my life to give a deeper faith, stronger hope, and a greater love. I
need you for that.

So I lean on you for that. In your name I pray, amen. Join us tomorrow as we
begin in earnest this look at John chapter 13, we're going to take a look, begin a
look at what Jesus had to teach us about serving in this chapter.