He Must Increase

Last Sunday we looked at a private conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. Jesus drops massive ordinance, massive truths on Nicodemus. In short, what Jesus told Nicodemus was this:

- I am the Son of Man (the one who will rule the earth and all dominions)

- I am here representing the Kingdom of God

- The Kingdom of God, at this moment, has nothing to do with overthrowing Rome or establishing rule upon the earth

- It is first and foremost a spiritual kingdom

- If you wish to enter this kingdom, it must be through a spiritual rebirth effected by the Holy Spirit

- Nothing you can do in your flesh (keeping the law, being a descendent of Abraham, etc.) can help you get into this kingdom

- You must be born again of the Holy Spirit, the only way to do that is through faith in Jesus, the Son of Man, God made flesh.

If Nicodemus accepts Jesus' words as true, then it does two things for him: It provides him with the opportunity to become part of the Kingdom of God, but it nullifies all his previous efforts. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a high ranking one. Pharisees were concerned with keeping the law and being blameless. They believed that God loved them more and accepted them more because of how they behaved. So what this would mean for Nicodemus is that he has to reject that philosophy. He cannot accept the truth of Jesus and continue to live trying to gain God's pleasure and favor with work. What Jesus is preaching is grace through faith in himself.

Grace goes against every practiced philosophy of the Pharisee. Underserved favor? They worked to gain God's favor. They treated others that were not as educated or pious as they were as if they were less than. And now Jesus obliterates that philosophy.

Last week I asked you to imagine how Nicodemus would have felt, being confronted by all of this. Imagine what he felt upon hearing that the decades that he had worked and studied and invested to get to the position where he was now so that he could be more accepted before God were all useless and powerless to give him access into God's Kingdom.

I would feel devastated, lost, decimated. And this is where we see Jesus not only as truth, but love as well. Because as Nicodemus sat in this mental and emotional state of being told that his source of identity was worthless to reach what he wanted, Jesus looks at Nicodemus and says these famous words:

But God so loved the world...

Jesus had brought Nicodemus to a crossroads. He had systematically destroyed everything that Nicodemus had built his life and confidence upon. Then, when all was a pile of rubble, Jesus showed Nicodemus love in a way that no one but God could have shown it.

We know that eventually, over the course of the next three years, Nicodemus does become a follower of Jesus. Not outwardly, at first. But at least in the day that Jesus dies, Nicodemus performs an act that can only be described as a public display of love for Jesus Christ. However, we do not know in what state Nicodemus departed this conversation. We can speculate, accurately, I think, that he went away with a lot on his mind. I personally believe that in the deepest part of his heart he believed what Jesus had told him, but at that moment found it too difficult to actually follow, because later in the book of John, we see that Nicodemus, though defensive about Jesus, still is counted among the Pharisees.

Sometime after that conversation, Jesus and his followers depart the city of Jerusalem and begin to go out into the countryside of Judea.

John 3:22-24 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

We see here first of all that Jesus is baptizing. In chapter 4 we get clarification that it is not actually Jesus that is baptizing, but his disciples. This would have been a continuation of the baptism of John the Baptist. There are schools of thought that say that Jesus started to baptize in his name at this point, that this was the first example of Christian baptism, but Romans 6:3 tells us that when we are baptized, we are baptized into Jesus' death. It would have been impossible to baptize someone into a death that had not occurred yet...

So Jesus here is baptizing by way of his disciples, the baptism of repentance. This would have been a preparation of the people for the church. See, when Jesus walked the earth, he was the visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God on this earth because he is the king of that kingdom. When he left, he left behind his church. The church is called "the body of Christ." We, therefore, are now the the visible representation of the kingdom of God on this earth. Another reason why we are called ambassadors of Christ in other passages.

So, Jesus is baptizing and preaching the kingdom of heaven, and near Salim, John the Baptist has found the spring waters of Aenon to be a suitable place to preach and baptize.

John 3:25-26 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. 26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

So we see here that a question arises between the followers of John and some Jews. Now, remember, at that time, though they were all descendants of Abraham, there were two major districts in Israel at the time: Galilee and Judea. Those that were from Galilee were referred to as Galileans, those that lived in Judea were referred to as Jews. John the Apostle, the writer of the book of John, when he says Jews, more often than not he is referring to the religious leaders.

So verse 25 is not implying that Johns disciples were Gentiles and they were having discussions with the Jews, but that his disciples were having a discussion with the Religious Leaders that were present.

We have already covered this discussion in more detail as we studied chapter 1, but the religious leaders, who objected to John instituting a new ordinance, continue to ask about the effectiveness of this baptism in ritual purification. Remember also that self-baptisms for the reason of becoming ritually pure were not an uncommon thing with the Jewish religion.

But anyway, as they have this discussion again, it comes up that Jesus is baptizing, and that he is baptizing a lot of people. This is brought to John the Baptist's attention by his own disciples who refer to him as Rabbi, or "my master."

"Hey master, remember a few months ago when you were baptizing in the Jordan river? You baptized a man and bore witness of him that he was the Messiah. You remember that, right? Well, we heard that he is baptizing people. In fact, it seems like everyone is going to him to get baptized."

It seems as if John's disciples looked upon Jesus as one who owed all his position and popularity to the John the Baptist's testimony. They were surprised to find that Jesus was surpassing John. They would have looked upon this conduct almost as ingratitude on the part of Jesus.

This verse also shows us that the witness of John did not pass unheeded. His witness was public and notorious, and people remembered it. That these friends of John felt unkindly toward Jesus is shown by their exaggerated statement that “all men come to him.”

And I love John the Baptist's response. John 3:27-29 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

Speaking of himself, he says, "A man can have nothing but what he receives." In other words, "My lot is to prepare the way for him. I can expect nothing more or less because this is the commission that was given to me. This mission came to me from heaven; if I chase down any other aspirations, it would be wrong."

28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. "You heard me say that I wasn't the Christ. You just acknowledged that you heard me say that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. And you know that I was sent before him [this is not solely in reference to time, but means that he was to prepare the way for Jesus, much in the same way and advanced military party is sent a day or two in advance to set up camp for the arrival of the main force]. So," John continues, "everyone has heard that I am here to prepare the way for Jesus."

V.29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. And as John the Baptist continues, he says, "And the thing is, I cannot be jealous of envious of the fame and success of Jesus. Because this is HIS time!" John understands that he is simply the best man in this scenario. This is the time of the bridegroom, not the best man. I don't know about you, I'm sure it has happened before, but I have never seen a groom's best man have a meltdown because the groom gets more pictures taken of him than he does. It is expected of the groomsmen and the best man to be excited about their friend that is getting married.

Sometimes, the best man may try to steal the show. For example: When Tahsha and I got married, we were married at a church in Texas and it was close to Christmas. This is an important detail in the story...

What was planned as an elegant ceremony, Tahsha's dress was beautiful, the bridesmaids had elegant looking dresses, I and the groomsmen were all wearing tuxes, and even the flower girls had beautiful dresses. The church was decorated very well. It was elegant.

And as the procession started, the when everyone was coming down the center aisle, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were coming down some steps from a balcony area. I had my back to those steps as I was watching the doors for Tahsha to finally make her entry, and all of a sudden I start hearing people laughing. I look out on those present, and I see huge smiles and people trying to stifle their laughter as they look beyond me and over my left shoulder. When I turned to find out what was so funny, I saw that my best man had entered the auditorium and was coming down the stairs from the balcony wearing a giant, goofy grin and sporting a Santa hat. I was not happy.

There are some people that just crave the spotlight though.

And this is what John the Baptist is saying and trying to make his disciples understand: "I'm just the best man. I am the friend of the groom. I follow the directions and the wishes of the groom. And because this is his big day, I rejoice when I hear his voice. I am happy because he is happy. My joy is full knowing his big day is here. Jesus, Jesus is the groom. This is his party. It's not my party. I don't need any of the accolades, any of the gifts, any of the pictures. I don't need to be center stage, I don't need to be on the stage at all! This is all about Jesus. He calls the shots. His voice is the one that fulfills us."

But he continues that thought in the next verses. John 3:30-31 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist utters these noblest of words! He must increase. It is necessary that he increase. He must grow. Gain more attention, draw others to himself. He must increase. Why? Because it was prophesied that this Messiah would be extolled and exalted (Isa. 52:13); but also because his very divinity requires it. Jesus is God and deserves and requires absolute worship.

"But I must decrease." John knew his place. John knew that the story was not about how well he, John the Baptist, prepared the way fro the Messiah, but the story was about the Messiah, the Lamb of God, coming in, changing hearts, adding people to this spiritual Kingdom, and being the savior of the world. So John the Baptist said, "He MUST increase, and for that to happen without hindrance, I MUST decrease. It is necessary for me to decrease." In followings, influence, in popularity, in power. John the Baptist was ready to vanish away into thin air for the sake of Jesus' influence growing.

31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus told Nicodemus that his origins were heavenly, not earthly. Now, John the Baptist is declaring the same thing- Jesus did not originate on earth, but in heaven. He is from above, but not only that, Jesus is above all. John the Baptist calls it above all, Paul would later refer to this attribute of Jesus as his preeminence.

Because he is from heaven, because he is above all, he is not like those that come from the earth, i.e.: John the Baptist.

John knew that he himself was over nothing, but that Jesus was over everything.

John 3:32-33 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. 33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. Again, John the Baptist confirms what Jesus has said already of himself- Jesus speaks as an eyewitness of heaven and heavenly things, yet so few were persuaded. Even Nicodemus had a hard time believing.

But those that did believe had received also to themselves a seal of the Lord. To receive the words of Jesus Christ was to publicly declare a conviction that God was true, and that He had kept His promise of sending the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ. This seal speaks of a stamp placed on a document that made it known to others that it was authentic, binding, and true. Those that received the words of Jesus, set their seal upon those words, witnessing to everyone around that they believed those words to be the authentic, binding, and true words of God. To believe God is to believe Jesus, but to make Jesus a liar (or declare that he is a liar) is to make God a liar.

John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

To give anything by measure indicates a partial bestowal. The Spirit of God, even in inspired prophets, was a partial and intermittent gift. Remember the story of Samson. In that story, Samson would grow supernaturally strong only when the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. However, Jesus did not have the Spirit by measure, he had all of it and it was continuous. When he would leave and ascend into heaven, He would then send the Spirit, not by measure, but those that believe in him have now the full indwelling of the Spirit of God.

John 3:35 is another verse indicating the deity of Jesus. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. Had Jesus simply been a man, even a good man, he would not be worthy nor capable of receiving all things from the Father. But Jesus is God, God in the flesh, and he is the King of kings.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

And what is the reason that John the Baptist is saying all this? For the sake of the Gospel. For the sake of salvation. John the Baptist is not interested in taking first place; he is not interested in increasing his following, power, or influence; he is not interested in taking the spotlight.

For the sake of the Kingdom of heaven, John is willing, more than willing to not just a back seat, but THE back seat so that the Kingdom of God can grow in the person of Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist was preparing hearts for the Kingdom, but he could not take them there. What he could do was point them the One who could take them there, and so that is exactly what John the Baptist did.

And John the Baptist makes a remark here. Those that believe (GR: have faith) have, in the present, everlasting life. But those that do not believe (GR: to refuse belief and obedience) are will not see life (after death), but God's wrath abides (present tense) on them.

The word that is translated believe in the first part does in fact mean to have faith, but that second time, when we read "BELIEVETH NOT", it is one word that means to refuse to believe and refuse to obey.

Mere intellectual acknowledgement is not enough to save one's soul. In James and in Romans we are taught clearly that true belief, true faith always results in obedience. So acknowledging that Jesus is God, simply believing in Him does not grant salvation, but, like Acts 17:30 tells us, God commands all men to repent. Not just to assent, but to repent. To change one's mind. To agree with God that only Jesus can save, and that Sin is abhorrent to him.

The Bible tells us that believing is all good and well, but even the devils believe. Do they have eternal life? No! Because they will never turn from their sins and turn to God. They do not have that choice. We are commanded to do that, and must if we desire the eternal life that comes only through Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist once again gives his warning of the wrath of God. This is his last recorded discourse, and in it he warns those present that if they reject this Messiah, the wrath of God is already abiding on them.

APPLICATION:

So what does all this mean to us?

I am glad you asked!

I want to point out that some things initially here, but we will deal with a deeper application during Life Group time.

First of all, I want to point out that salvation is extended to everyone through Jesus Christ. Last week we saw Jesus tell Nicodemus that whosoever believed in him would have eternal life. Now we once again see that John the Baptist declares that he that has faith has eternal life. Then he gives a flip side of it. He says, "He that believeth not." That word translated "believeth not" is one word in the Greek. It is apeitheo. That word means to "refuse to believe and obey." Today you have a choice. Today, if you are sitting here and do not have Jesus as your savior, you can believe in your heart that all this that you have heard is true, but if you do not act upon that belief, calling on the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and asking him to save you, then you are not saved.

The next thing I want to point out is that this all goes hand in hand with the teachings we heard of Jesus last week about the Kingdom of God. People enter the Kingdom by being spiritually reborn. And Jesus is the King of that kingdom.

This is something that John the Baptist was acutely aware of. When his disciples came and complained that Jesus and his followers were baptizing and preaching to bigger crowds than John the Baptist, John did not give the jealousy or envy even the slightest chance to rear their heads. He quashed even the mere notion that he was worthy of anything except disappearing into the background of Jesus' greatness.

Why is it that so many Christians only want to serve if they get acknowledged? Why is it that so many Christians view certain areas of ministry as "below them"?

Do we not remember that the man regarded by Jesus himself as the greatest influence for the Kingdom of God, John the Baptist, felt unworthy of doing even the lowest of a servant's duties for Jesus? To unlatch the shoe was the lowest of the low tasks for a servant, yet John the Baptist considered that to be an honor so high that he was unworthy of it.

Can you imagine if what would happen if we all had that attitude? There would be no shortage of nursery workers, there would be no shortage of children's workers, there would be no shortage of people wanting to serve others, or visit others, or sing, or play, or lead a home group, or pray, or reach out into the community.

The attitude I that is adopted by too many Christians is, "I have to do what?"

But instead, the attitude should be, "I can't believe that I get to serve Jesus by serving kids, other adults, by opening my home to others, by encouraging others in a Bible study, by singing, by whatever!"

But to often, we think of ourselves as the center of attention. We forget that this, this church, this body, this life, is all Jesus' party. It is all about Him! And to make it all about Him, I must first DECREASE!

I must disappear, be absorbed into the background of Jesus' greatness. Then, and only then, will I be able to make an impact for the Kingdom of God.

The one overwhelming duty of a Christian is not to read the Bible through every year. It is not to go a whole year without missing the services once. It is not to pray everyday. It is not to serve in as many ministries as possible. The one overwhelming duty of a Christian is not even to witness to others and make disciples.

The one overwhelming responsibility of every Christian is to be conformed to the image of Christ. When that happens, there will be nothing that we will refuse Him. There will be no task too big or too small.

What? Teens? You GET to go to school and be salt and be a light in your school!

Adults, you GET to go to work and be salt and be light.

Members, you GET to sing, you GET to pray, you GET to come to church.

You GET to work the nursery and love those kids and their families.

You GET to teach those kids and love them and love their families.

"Can you believe what Bro. Mike or Tahsha asked me to consider doing?"

I have heard people, teens and adults alike, say things like, "That would be weird for me to do that, or to be involved in that kind of ministry."

Let me tell you, the only thing weird is a Christian that will not serve. That is not normal. That is an indication that something is wrong.

We GET to do all these things, we do not HAVE to do all these things! And what is the purpose behind having Christ's mind and humility in all of this? It is to expand His kingdom. This will allow us to tell the lost about Jesus. You know what will not allow us to be effective witnesses? Pride, jealousy, bitterness, infighting.

Invitation:

I'll ask Tahsha to come to the piano as we have an invitation time. This is a time where you GET to respond to God's word.

Let me ask you a few questions.

1. Are you here today without Jesus as your personal savior? Today, you can be saved. Jesus paid it all, and God now commands that men and women everywhere come to repentance. That command is for you. But you have a choice: Believe and come to Jesus, or refuse. If you believe and act upon that, you will have eternal life. If you refuse, I give the warning that John the Baptist gave 2000 years ago: the wrath of God is already abiding on you. Is there anyone that would say with an uplifted hand, "I am not saved, but I would like to know how to be."

2. My second question is for those who are already saved. Are you decreasing? Are you actively being absorbed into the background of Jesus' glory, allowing Him to occupy the preeminent space He deserves? Are you jealous of other's service? Are you bitter toward someone else who has, in your mind, a greater spotlight than you might have?

This life, this church, is not about you or me. It is all about Jesus. Are you refusing service to Him because it is "beneath you"? I invite you to change that perspective today.

3. My last question is for those that are currently serving in an area of ministry here. Why are you serving? Why do you sing, why do you play, why do you teach? Is it to be in the spotlight? Is it to outdo someone else? Is it simply to satisfy a personal desire? Or is it indeed to lift Jesus higher?

Our motives matter. The heart behind our service matters. I ask you to analyse those motives at this time. Maybe you already know.

Is there anyone that would say, Bro Mike, I serve out of obligation, I serve to be in the spotlight, I serve to be accepted, I serve for reasons other than to lift Jesus' name on high, but will you pray for me as God deals with my heart this morning?

---

LIFE GROUP

Last Sunday we mentioned that Nicodemus, a Pharisee, had to reject his philosophy of gaining God's favor through works. Have you ever had to change your beliefs drastically like Nicodemus did?

I must decrease, He must increase - Philippians 2:5-11 -- Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Why do we decrease? So that we can point out Jesus. It hard to point something out if I am standing in front of it.

We mentioned that pride, jealousy, and infighting hinder our effectiveness as witnesses for Christ. How can we overcome these obstacles and work together to expand God's kingdom?

Motivation matters - Luke 6:45 Why the heart matters most to God (christiantoday.com)

2 Samuel 15:22-23 And Samuel said,

Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the LORD?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,

and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD,

he hath also rejected thee from being king.