Jesus indicated we need a daily spiritual cleansing from the dirt of this world. When He exhorted His disciples to do as He did, he charged them with the responsibility of cleansing each other. We have a ministry to one another to help keep our spiritual feet clean. Followers of Jesus are to be servants, not putting up walls, but building bridges. Walls are erected on a foundation of sin and fleshly pride. Bridges are built because of God’s Justice. When we bring God’s Justice into our lives, and respond to His Word by serving other brothers, feet are cleansed, disciples are encouraged, and the Body is blessed with healthy growth. When flesh and pride prevent the Justice of God’s Word, the body is not cleansed, it gets dirty and Satan has a foothold. That is what happened when the Disciples focused on themselves rather than on the Lord. Judas focused on himself, money, and power and Satan was given a foothold. Just as Jesus cleansed His disciples, so do we cleanse each other through our service to each other. This brings cleansing and encouragement and keeps the body healthy. James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Hebrews 12:12-15 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 4. The Profit Principle Jesus shocked his disciples with what He did. This was unheard of. Peter protested most of all. But Jesus said, if you do not let me do this you will have no share with me. Jesus wanted His Disciples to see that Jesus was willing to go beyond what was expected to show His love for them. If they wanted to share with Jesus, they must follow His example, and do more than what is expected of them. Following Jesus is not about position or accomplishments or degrees or knowledge. Following Jesus is about service beyond what people expect. It is along the Waste Principle we saw last week, it is the Second Mile Principle that Jesus preached on the Mount. If you want the power of Jesus in your life, if you want to share in the beauty of His Love and Glory, you will embrace this profit principle. Jesus taught it in Luke 17. Luke 17:7-10 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” Duty serves most Christians well. They feel good about their religion as long as they are doing such and such. For each one it is different. It can be attendance, tithe, reading the Bible. We feel close to God as long as we are fulfilling our ‘duty’ as we perceive it. Jesus wants us to see that following Him is much more than ‘fulfilling a duty’. If we are to be profitable to Jesus, if we are to share with Him, we must go beyond our perceived ‘duties’ and serve when it is not expected. This is the Victory that is in the Righteousness of Christ. If you are living your Christian life as a duty, you are walking in the flesh. You are serving in your own strength. You can ‘handle’ the Christian life. However, Righteousness and sharing with Christ comes only as you go beyond what you can naturally do, or handle. When your service forces you to rely on Christ because you cannot do it, that is when you share with Christ. That is when His Righteousness is yours. You depend upon Him. Ephesians 6:7 Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 2 Corinthians 4:5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. Promise attached: John 13:17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you DO them. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Mother Teresa lived her life by the simplicity of the Gospel and experienced great Joy through the power of Jesus: Mother Teresa sang a hymn to joy that went like this: Joy is prayer Joy is strength Joy is love Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. She said: “The best way to show our gratitude to God and the people is to accept everything with joy.” “Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Risen Christ.” “We all long for Heaven where God is, but we have it in our power to be in Heaven with him right now to be happy with him at this very moment. But being happy with him now means: • loving as he loves • helping as he helps; • giving as he gives • serving as he serves • rescuing as he rescues • being with him 24 hours a day