Untitled Sermon (2)

Text: John 3:22-36

Big Idea

Humble witnesses for the Savior proclaim his gospel, and people’s response to the Son of God determines their destiny.

Body

Satisfaction

1) God desires humble witnesses who are content (vv. 22-27)

Explanation

Location and Action (vv. 22-24): Moved from Jerusalem to the Judean countryside and began baptizing. Jesus Himself did not baptize, rather His disciples baptized while He observed. John 4:1-2

John 4:1-2 - ESV

1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),

The exact location is unknown but both John and Jesus would have had long lines of pilgrims waiting to be baptized

Baptism: This baptism was a water baptism, not the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as that would only come after Jesus death and resurrection. It was a "baptism of repentance" that John had been doing his entire ministry.

John not yet in Prison (v.24): This seems like an obvious thing, as John is actively baptizing people. John the writer uses this to set in time when these events are happening in relation to the other gospels. The Synoptics all begin Jesus Galilean ministry after John the Baptist had already been arrested.

Mark 1:14 - ESV

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,

Discussion (v.25): The argument between John's disciples and the singular Jew was over Purification rights such as in John 2:6. This wasn't an argument between the legitimacy of Johns baptism vs Jesus Baptism, but rather a pointed argument on the way John himself was baptizing. It probably strayed from the norm of Jewish baptism.

The Complaint: The discussion with the singular Jew spilled over in some way to the durability of John the Baptist's ministry. His disciples became concerned with, and jealous of, the amount of people going to be baptized by Jesus. They want John to counter Jesus ministry with action of his own to ensure his ministry stays intact. They come to John resentful and embittered to the success Jesus is having. They even exaggerate the amount of people Jesus is baptizing "ALL are going to Him."

John's Answer: John's response comes in the form of a aphorism, a short pithy popular wisdom saying. All gifts come from heaven, ie. from God Himself, including the call to a specific job and ones place in life. For John the Baptist to wish himself into any other position would be covetousness. For John this would have been not just a deep discontentedness over the God's wise placement of him and a lack of faith and unbelief in God's overall plan, but it would have been the worst form of sin, the arrogance that wants to be God and stand where God stands.

Illustration

Competing for NCOER's

Argumentation

At the heart of this text is a tension we all face—what do we do when someone else is getting the attention we used to have? When our influence starts to fade and someone else's rises? John’s disciples wrestled with this, and many of us do too.

Our culture idolizes comparison and competition. We live in a world obsessed with platforms, followings, and visibility. Even in ministry, it’s easy to tie our sense of worth to the size of our impact or the affirmation of others. But John the Baptist shows us a different way—a kingdom mindset that sees identity and influence not as something to earn, but something entrusted by God.

John could have fought for recognition. He could have reminded the crowds that he was the forerunner, the voice in the wilderness, the one who baptized Jesus. Instead, he models what humility really looks like: stepping back when God wants to move someone else forward. His contentment wasn’t rooted in public approval, but in God's calling. He knew who he was—and more importantly, who he wasn’t.

This is the kind of witness God desires: not one who scrambles for the spotlight, but one who stands secure in the shadows when that’s where God places them. A humble, content witness is not concerned with who gets the credit—only that Christ is magnified.

Application

So here’s the challenge: Are you content with the calling God has given you? Or are you constantly measuring your worth by someone else’s success? Humility and contentment aren’t passive virtues; they are active expressions of faith in God’s good sovereignty. And in a world that shouts, “Make your name great,” God is looking for servants who say, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Transition

While we see from John's response that humble witnesses of Christ are content, John's continued response shows us that God also desires humble witnesses who elevate Christ.

2) God Desires humble witnesses who elevate Christ (vv. 28-30)

Explanation

John's Position (v.28): John continues to remind his disciples that his mission is not the end goal. The baptism that he does is not the final salvation but a foreshadowing. He reminds them that he himself is not the Christ. We remember back to when John was being questioned by the religious delegation.

John 1:20 - ESV

20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

John isn't upset or even bothered by the rising popularity of Jesus' ministry. On top of admitting since the beginning that he was not the Christ he also established what his mission was, to prepare the way. We remember back to chapter 1 where John explained his mission of preparing the way.

John is completely content with where God has placed him and has, for the entirety of his ministry, put Jesus first.

Parable (v.29): John explains his mission, his role in the kingdom, in the form of a parable. In this parable John takes on the role of friend of the bridegroom, the ancient equivalent of the best man. The best man helped organize the details of the wedding and found the greatest joy in watching the wedding go off without a hitch, knowing that the groom and bride would come together with great joy. Old Testament Tie In: John would have understood Israel, or the faithful, as the bride of the Lord - Isaiah 62:4-5

Isaiah 62:4-5 - ESV

4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

John is saying that the Jesus he has been preparing the way for is none other than Israel's King and Messiah who has come to be the husband to His bride. This was a continuation and transformation of the theme of marriage to the New Covenant.

Ephesians 5:25-27 - ESV

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

John is saying that he himself has taken the back seat in order to elevate Christ who has come to seek and save the lost.

He must become greater (v. 30): John then finds his complete Joy in wholeheartedly embracing God's will in raising up Christ.

Illustration

Let me show you something that captures exactly what John is doing in this moment.

[Hold up a flashlight and a small mirror.]

Let’s say this flashlight represents Christ—the true Light of the world. Now, if I shine this flashlight directly at you, you’re going to see the source. But what happens when I shine it at this mirror?

[Shine the light at the mirror, reflecting it onto a wall or the congregation.]

You still see the light—but it’s coming through a reflection. The mirror isn’t the source. It doesn’t generate anything on its own. Its only job is to reflect the light as clearly and accurately as possible. And the better the mirror—the cleaner and more aligned it is—the brighter the light it reflects.

That’s John the Baptist.

He never claimed to be the Light. He knew from the beginning, “I am not the Christ.” His whole purpose was to reflect Jesus, to redirect people’s attention away from himself and toward the One who truly saves.

And here’s the key: he found joy in doing it. He didn’t crave the spotlight. He just wanted to make sure it landed fully on Jesus. His life wasn’t about being seen—it was about making Christ seen.

Argumentation

It’s easy to say, “Jesus must become greater”—but how often are we actually willing to become less?

This passage challenges one of the deepest temptations in the human heart: the desire to make a name for ourselves, even in the name of serving God. We don’t mind Christ being praised, as long as we’re standing nearby to share a little of the spotlight. But John the Baptist shows us a radically different spirit—one that doesn’t just accept the rise of Jesus, but rejoices in it, even when it means stepping out of view.

John had followers, influence, and a powerful platform. Yet he used it to point to someone else. He was never interested in building his own brand. His joy was complete when people saw the Bridegroom instead of the best man.

This is the heart of a humble witness: someone who isn’t building their own kingdom, but God’s. Someone who doesn’t see Jesus as a rival, but as the only One truly worthy of attention and honor. Paul echoes this same mindset in Philippians 1:15–18, where he says, “Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” Even when others preached Christ with selfish motives, Paul didn’t care who got the credit—as long as Jesus was lifted up.

In 1 Corinthians 3:5–7, Paul corrects the Corinthian church for choosing sides between Christian leaders, reminding them: “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed… So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” It’s not about the witness—it’s about the One the witness points to.

And Jesus Himself modeled this perfectly. In John 5:30, He says, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” Even Christ lived to exalt the Father. How much more should we live to exalt Christ?

True humility doesn’t just mean thinking less of yourself—it means thinking so much of Christ that you willingly fade into the background if it means He’s more clearly seen.

And here’s the truth: when we elevate Christ, we find our greatest joy. There’s no deeper satisfaction than seeing Jesus magnified in someone else’s life—even if they never know our name. That’s what it means to embrace verse 30: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” It’s not a loss—it’s the gain of knowing your life points to the only One who saves.

Application

So ask yourself: What platform, privilege, or praise are you willing to lay down so that Christ can be lifted up? Until we are willing to take the back seat, we may never know the fullness of joy that John experienced. But once we do, we’ll discover that decreasing for Jesus’ sake is the most fulfilling kind of life we can live.