In this sermon, the speaker reflects on his experience of preaching in prison and emphasizes the importance of living according to one's gifts. He shares how he had a wonderful congregation but longs for those happy days. The speaker also highlights the need to let the Lord Jesus master every circumstance in life and teaches that actions speak louder than words. He references the Bible verse in John where Jesus washes the disciples' feet as an example of serving others. The sermon concludes with the speaker expressing his farewell and hope to see the audience again.

I, you know, I get rather like this when I'm sort of preaching in a conference. I have a couple, three days, really, what shall I say, preaching and then I get to the place when I just reminisce. Oh, lovely. I think Jesus did that, if you think. All right, first three we finished. He had come from God and went to God. But I put in the word, had, but it's in the present. He was, come from God, the living present. Blessed, isn't it? He rises from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself. Now there is nothing about what we call the Lord's Supper in John, whatever you want to call it, Communion, whichever word. This, between the, this supper that he's talking about now, this wasn't the Passover Supper at that moment. It passes on into the Passover Supper. There's no lambs spoken about. There's nothing of that. So don't get confused, will you? You've got to turn to the Synoptic Gospels to find out about what's called the Lord's Supper or Communion or whatever name you want to use. He says this, he rises from supper, verse 4, laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself. There's nothing about that in the Synoptics. They're talking about the Passover. After that, he poureth water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet and to wipe the weathered towel wherewith he was girded. Now you understand why the Lord, in directing two of his followers, shall we say disciples, to go and find the place where the Passover was to be kept. And the only direction they had finally was, look for a man carrying a pitcher of water. Here's the water. Just follow him. The man that's carrying the water is going to wash your feet. He didn't tell them that. They never knew what he had in mind. Going to the house, hmm, alright, just follow the water. This is not cleansing by blood. This is cleansing by water. He's in a different position, frame of mind and purpose of heart at this moment. Here we go then. He comes to Simon Peter and Peter says unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answers him and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus asked him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, thou shalt not wash my feet only, but also my hands and my head. He didn't say unto my heart. He never understood. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed. That word in the original is bathed, if you had a good bath. You only need to wash your feet. Keep your feet clean. They all had unclean feet. Jesus himself did. You remember when he went into that Pharisees house earlier. You washed other people's feet, you deliberately wouldn't wash mine. It was just for the dirt picked up on the road, where they walked among animal droppings and all kinds of things with open sandals. When they had to go into the house, Muslims still practice this. You're not allowed to wear shoes, sandals, anything when you go into a Muslim place. Did you know that? You have to take them off. They don't want any dust, dirt, whatever you want to say. They have to be left outside. Always remember that. I hope you never go to Muslim churches. It's a wicked religion. Has nothing to do with God at all. Keep that very clear. Muslim religion is built upon a penal code. That is, borrowed from Moses of course, and made worse. If you are a thief, you take something, your hand has to be cut off. Did you know that? It's a wicked, hard religion. I'm afraid it's taking too great a root in other countries than Eastern countries. Here is the big thing. Oh, let me make one more comment. You know why, don't you? They got the money. It's under their feet. The oil wells. They buy their way into everything. And they can. Whilst a poverty stricken church, or so they would have us believe, seems to be stretching out for just a place to live, or a crumb to eat. It's another way of saying, the love of money is the root of all evil. And they've made a religion of it. Alright, no more comments. Just so long as we learn to distinguish the things that differ, you might write that down, unless you've got a memory that will retain it. You must distinguish the things that differ. But then that requires thought. Alright, of course when Jesus said that, poor Peter, he seldom knew what he was talking about. Perhaps you know that. We have a saying in England about, you're talking out of the back of your neck. Poor Peter was always doing that. Always. One time God said to him, get behind me Satan. Peter? An apostle? Satan? Can't believe it can you? Alright. If I don't wash thee thou hast no part with me. You have to be washed by Jesus Christ personally. Alright? It's so wonderful isn't it? Peter says, Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Dear old Peter, he wanted it all. But he's got such a nature. There had no way he'd never been born again. He's never got the new nature in him. Jesus said to him one day, get behind me Satan. He called Peter Satan. Not Saint Peter, Satan Peter. Isn't that amazing? You can switch to being a Satan any time if you're not careful. You've really got to love this Jesus. Well here we go. Wash me everything Lord, I want to belong to you wholly. Jesus said to him, he who is washed. Now that word washed, the Greek word there is had a bath. If you bathed you know, and you really had a lovely lot of water and you soaked yourself in it. If you bathed in, like that. If you've had a bath, all you need Peter is to keep your feet clean. That's great isn't it? Are your feet clean? You can say the same of me. Are your feet clean? For I suppose in my privileged position, now I could have been trailing in a mucky path and you wouldn't even know. Or even less, you really can't tell. It's a great thing beloved, to understand. You're clean but not all, for he knew who should betray and therefore said he, you're not all clean. Take that word wit, it's an old English word. Are you clean every wit, in your thoughts, in your heart, in your conversation, in your intentions, male and female among which you have to be, not just among ourselves here. Are you clean in your library, in your watching on television? Are you clean in your habits? You've got to be clean every wit. Jesus' standard, not mine, although it's mine by adoption, came from him. These are just last, what you would say looking at him as a man, of course we know he was superior to death, but it was his last words almost. He got them into that upper room to teach them the truth. Have you ever been shut in a room with Jesus where he's taught you, so that you know inside? You mustn't be in any doubt on these lines. Hallelujah. It's so wonderful. Did you know this exclusive position? He took them into an exclusive position. Outside people did not know where he and his disciples were. He'd given them three years' teachings and miracles. He says so, having loved his own, but he loves the world. Of course he does, but there are his own. You are supposed to love your neighbour as yourself, but not like you love your own husband, wife or children. You understand? Plain as daylight. This is it, he loved them. He's talking to them. Why do you wash my feet, Lord? I want you clean. I don't want a speck of dirt on you. Not a speck. Paul takes this up in the Ephesian letter. Without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. He came to save sinners. That's right. But he came to save his saints too. So saints need saving. I need saving from myself. I need saving from things that I've constituted as habits in my life. I need saving from books perhaps, or televisions, or football fanatic, or cricket, which I may love it, or rugby, or this netball we play now. Beloved, can't you? Oh yeah, I can kick a football. I can do all that. Do you understand? Everybody's pleading for humanity to humanise and make us common like everybody else in the world. The Holy Ghost has come to put us apart. Oh, not go and shut ourselves in a monastery or a nunnery. Not that. But to set apart. You're only set apart by God unto himself completely. He wants to eat you. He wants to... Well, he taught you to eat Jesus Christ, didn't he? You take communion. That's what it's about. We don't realise how greatly we're loved. Aren't we to be like all the rest of the people in the world? No, you aren't. You're to be like the rest of the people on earth in humanity, but inside you're not to be like them at all. Not in fashion, not in ideas, not with a spirit of the age, which is in total rebellion against God. Nothing. You're to be distinct and different. I tell you what, if you're like that, you'll probably set the world on fire. There haven't been many like it. Listen, beloved. He took his garments, sat down and he said, I'd better tell them what I've done. If I may enter into his thinking. He says, you call me Master and Lord. And you say, well, for I am. Now I want you to know this. I mean, I could preach on every verse in John. I think here's the thing for you to see, beloved. You have to let the Lord Jesus master you. And you've got to be able to master every circumstance in life. Do you understand that? If I, your Lord, your Master. You say, well, that word means teacher. Exactly, that's what you do. You teach people by your life, more than you do with your mouth. For so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, 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. Now, you must understand, and you probably already know it, you don't need me to tell you, that there are people who practice feet washing now, in churches, in groups. But you need feel no bondage to it, because it was not incorporated in what we call, what our call, the sacraments. Baptism in water, symbolizing it should do, that you are baptized in the Spirit. There is the breaking of bread. They've all been instituted in the gospel that Paul said is my gospel. All right, you'll find it in his letters. All right, he substantiated baptism in water. He wasn't over gone with it, he left that to Peter. Peter seemed to love to keep ducking them in water wherever he went. But Paul wasn't so great on it. He said, I thank God I baptize none of you, or save the household. One coincidence, you've read it, first chapter. But old Peter, he was always wanting to get them in the water. It's good. But he was a man of great power, after he was born again, this marvelous miracle. But he wasn't a great teacher. Paul was the master, in the sense of teacher. Thou art a teacher come from God, same word, master. He only was concerned, beloved, really to get us into the truth. He substantiated baptism in water. He substantiated what we call the communion, last supper, or what you want. Though they're not to be confused, but never mind. And he substantiated in everything, but he never gave any orders to the church about foot washing. So that's why it isn't incorporated into the general position. If you like to practice it in your church, that's up to you. But it must never be enforced. It's very wonderful. I have given you another, an example, that you should do as I've 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. If you know these things, happy are ye if you do. That's the word translated, blessed, in Matthew 5. Happy are the pure in heart, not blessed. Now, you have to know this, beloved. Now if you care to wash one another's feet every morning, that's fine. It may do your pride a lot of good to get down and wash one another's feet. It was just to make them comfortable. There was grit between their toes through walking in the sand and the muck and the mud. Well, there was. I don't know how large the lumps of grit were. If you want to take that, you will understand that it was the lowest grade of servant in a man's house that was made to wash the feet. They always stack. Oh, don't say that. Hear how wonderful it is. Listen to this. Jesus made all his disciples wash their feet in the brook Kedron before they passed into the calm. They all went in there with clean hearts. Clean feet, I'm sorry. But only one had a pure heart. His name was Jesus. He wanted to teach you through these things, and me too. Teach us to know our Bibles. This is the rarest thing on earth, that people should know their Bibles and know what the Bible is teaching. God bless you. But you must learn, first of all, that you must be in the position where you would wash everyone's feet. Everyone present. My danger, appealing to what could be my pride, you should judge whether it is or not, everybody wants to wash my feet, if you know what I mean. I always come and live among people who would give me gold to eat if they could. That's right. I realize my privileges. I cannot reverse them. These are the things, beloved, that you should understand. Go on with God. You'll earn positions if you go on with God. I mean in God's reckoning. Not by man's reckoning. Here we go then. If you know this, now you get to know it, you're only happy, so far as God is concerned, if you do them. Now are you, shall I say, living up to your knowledge? Are you doing that? Do your habits confess to me your knowledge? The way your mind works? These are the things you are to observe. The big thing that the Lord taught us in an earlier chapter is that he has to open our eyes. John 9. Hallelujah. Strive to be a servant of everybody. I speak, Lord, of you all. I am all whom I have chosen. But that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. That's Judas, he's listening to it. Now I tell you, before it come, that when it is come to pass, you may believe that I am. That you would have he there, but it's not in the Greek. You will believe that I am. God, I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. And when Jesus said this, he was troubled in spirit, just like he had been in chapter 11, before he raised Lazarus from the dead. All right. I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Have you ever betrayed Jesus? Oh, I don't mean gone out and deliberately betrayed him. You can't sell him into anybody's hands. I don't. I think often what people, Christians say and do, just betrays the Lord. Thank God I don't move among a lot of them. You notice there weren't a lot there? There were only 13 Jesus and 12 apostles. It's a big thing, beloved. The disciples looked one on another, doubting whom they spake. Now, there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Don't think that means he only loved one of his disciples. He loved them all. It was the disciples he loved. There's a right way and a wrong way to read the scriptures. You can read it the wrong way and it's interpreted as, well, it was John. Of course it was John. But he loved the disciples. He even gave this man, Judas, a chance. He washed his feet, just like he did the feet of others. And still that murderer kept secret the thing so that no one else knew. Except Jesus, of course. And Jesus let him remain silent. He let the serpent's fangs stay in the midst, just in case. He practiced what he preached. No, don't go and pull out the tares. You might uproot some of the wheat with it. Let them grow together. Let them grow together till harvest. And all will be shown then. Just who I am will all be shown. Just who you are will all be shown. In the harvest. So wonderful to understand this, beloved. He beckoned to this disciple, who, one of his disciples, a whole lot of them, that was John as we know, had his head on the Lord's breast. He could hear the heartbeat of the Eternal God. Very marvellously. Who is it? It was Peter who moved him. Gospel. Jesus answered, He it is to whom I shall give a salt, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the salt, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. And after the salt, Satan entered into him. In John chapter 6, he said to them, Have not I chosen you twelve? And one of you is a demon, a devil. There is a difference between a devil and Satan himself. How glorious this is, beloved. Now, a devil inside you, will pave the way for the very devil himself to come into you. Like you receive a spirit, the spirit from God, and it will pave the way. For what he says later in chapter 14, We'll all come in. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. What spirit have you got in you? Are you a born again person? It's very wonderful. It's very wonderful. Jesus loved them all. But he loved his own more. Do you know why? Because they made a move toward him. However far you've gone, be assured, if you've made the move toward him, really moved out of sin, out of the world, by that you mean the spirit, the worldliness of the world, if you know what I mean. Okay, you've made the move. Don't stop. Whatever you do, and I dare hope, I might have helped you a bit toward that. You're to go on. You're to be in this world and not of it. You're not to be of this world. Don't team up with the world. Here's the great thing for you to see, because Christians, quote, all over the world are teaming up with worldlings. Don't you know that? You ask everybody in the basketball thing that they do these days, if there's one Christian among them, really born again one, he's teamed up with all the rest that aren't. Oh, you'll say, that's only a sport. Beloved, this is, don't you understand? These are the claws of Satan. They're drawing you back. They're drawing you in. Of course, you can leave if you like. That's not it. It's becoming one with them to do it. In everything, too. That counts. If you will stick out against this all with understanding, you might find yourself in a prison cell. It's so wonderful, beloved, to understand how radical this salvation is. How radical. I mustn't tell you too many stories of being naughty, stealing your time. But I went to Germany some years ago to take some conference work, something. And there was a lady there. Her husband wasn't there. She came. She was in dire need. I won't go into all the details. She was ill. She was unsaved. She didn't know anything about it. That night she responded to the Lord. All right. Okay. She went home and told her husband. All right. And he came to the Lord. She led him to the Lord. And he went inside. A moment, or within an hour or so, of being born again. And he got all his discs. You love discs? And he tipped them in the dustbin. Rubbish collection. Oh, he had a fortune. Sure. He knew where they were leading him. What appears to be innocent things, there's nothing innocent in this world. Nothing. Nothing is innocent. Everything is significant. We're caught up in a great plan of God to make us different, make us stick out like sore thumbs. Yeah. That's what we're here for. There were times when the church and the world walked far apart. You may not even be able to remember those times. Yeah. I met a little Irishman when I was in prison. By the way, I've been to prison. You better know I'm an ex-jailbird. All right. It's all right, because I wouldn't fight. That's why I went to prison. I practice what I'm preaching. But I met him. He was a choice little man. He came up to my shoulders, like some of you in the room might. And he... Something had happened, and he was shot up in a cell, and they put him on bread and water. Now, when I was in prison, I had porridge and all that kind. Yeah, a well-behaved prisoner, I think. I don't know. But this dear little man, he was an Irishman. He loved the Lord. Yeah. And rather than mix with the world, as they were trying to force him, he went on bread and water. When he came out... Oh, I must keep... I mustn't tell you stories. But if you're in prison now, don't go if you can possibly avoid it, righteously. All right. When he came out, you have to do exercise. They must let you go out, walk. And you... This was so in England. Anyway, when you can walk in pairs, you and the fellow in the cell next to you, or something like that. But this little Irishman, I don't... I believe the word travels. There's more drugs taken in prisons, you understand, than there are outside. He wouldn't mix, and he got the noise of it all, and he found me. He came... He decided to walk beside me. He was... He was a dear little man. I honour him. I really do. He couldn't speak properly, and it was Irish when he spoke, and... He had handicap upon handicap, you see. And we talked. And you're supposed to have so much distance between you and the other person. You say we're dot city. You don't walk... get close together, because you might be hatching up a plan to break out. You understand? Oh, this is their thinking. It's not common sense, from their point of view. But... I don't think I was worthy to hold a candle to the man. He was a wonderful little fellow. He couldn't preach, but he found out I could. You've got to live according to your gift. And so he used to shout... everything was stuttering. I had to shout my answers. And we found that this couple back here, under the eyes of the office, came closer, closer, closer, closer. He would drop out, take this man's place, this one would come up there, with me. The most wonderful place to preach is in a prison. Got a captive audience. Try it sometime. Or go to prison for the right reasons. Here, then, is the tremendous thing, beloved. I had a marvellous congregation. Sometimes long for those happy days. But you don't want to go to prison, do you? You won't do anything except go to prison, won't you? Go and drop a bomb on a thousand people and kill them, wouldn't you? If they'd have you in the Air Force. Just keep it clear. Know that you do not belong here. And the first claims upon you are not your king or country or whatever you want to call him, but God's play. Overrides everything. You'll get bread and water for it. Good enough. David said that. He said, Your bread will be given you and your water shall be sure. If you're the Lord's. But you want jam on it, don't you? I like jam. Here's the thing, beloved. To see what it's about. Would the Lord have chosen you to make an apostle of you if he'd been on Earth? Look at your laid-back life and all these things. God doesn't look upon the outward appearance. He's looking on the heart. But he looks on your heart to change it and then your outward appearance will come in line with that miracle work. God does care how I dress. God does care. Look at the wonderful feathers he puts on a peacock. Oh no, they're proud. He does care. You get it out of your head. You can't dress how you like. You can't do anything how you like. No matter what your teachers might have taught you and the spirits of the age might say you're living by that wonderful spirit. Sorry, it's not in this chapter but at least it's great stuff. You know, I even feed on it while I'm preaching it. It's a great truth, beloved. It's got to come out of your blood. It's got to come out of your brain which is on your machine your thinking has to be changed and God guarantees to change that if he changes your heart if you will listen to him and not yourself. Me too. I'll tell you a little story. I've got 7 minutes here at the corner. I got up this morning and I put on the tie I had yesterday if you remember what colour it was and I knew it wasn't your bosses you know what I mean Derek's choice. So this morning I dared to ask him he said you've got a nice shirt there Mr Moore don't you tell him I've said anything about it I'll talk him behind his back. He... and I knew what next to ask do you like my tie? it wasn't this one I got the one on my head yesterday he said no I don't he'll always tell you the truth and I got it on this morning when I was sitting at breakfast and I went up and changed it and I came down and said do you like that? oh yes he said so I didn't dress to please myself oh why shouldn't I wear what tie I like with my shirt that's the spirit of the world and you may be full of it and call yourself a Christian here then is the thing oh you haven't got to dress in black or any whatever but that was given me in Germany I never chose it here is the thing you can always tell the discipline of the life is unto Jesus Christ God help me for life is a school but the school is not the building any more than the church is the building it's what you are being schooled into in your thought within a building called a school so may God bless us and lead us on beloved I told you at the beginning I'm not really interested in your academic position or whether you win any scholarships or papers or parchments I'm not rebelling against that I'm only interested in your soul for I have to give an account for what I'm saying to you it's all so marvelous you bear these things in mind I'm now teaching you Christian behavioral patterns that's the great truth notice this no man understood the things that happened next here he was Jesus says the one eye to whom I give the salt you see so that shows you it was not the Lord's supper it was the supper beforehand he dipped the bread in the salt which was often given by the host to the favored guest Amen Amen now listen twenty seven Jesus said what you're doing you do it he ordered him out Judas didn't drop off Jesus ordered him out the disciples, rest of them never knew what was in it they thought it was a bag some secret arrangement he had to go and buy things or something like that guess, guess, guess, guess stop guessing here it is he said you do it quickly in other words Jesus was in control he was in control of everything all his life he ordered his own death you say what? through papyrus? you could have no power against me except we're giving you from on high he was in control do you like being in control? you say we're free you're only free to do as you're told me too and that's the marvelous thing and so he said you've got to go and buy something more give something to the poor he then having received the sop went immediately out listen to these words and it was night it was night he'd lived in the dark he'd followed Jesus in the dark and he went out into the dark but he was an apostle he'd been chosen beloved, this is so great I must say farewell to you I hope to see you tomorrow morning