All My Boast Is In Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
I’m probably the only one,
but has anyone else ever struggled with comparing yourself to others?
Really? You too?
We know that we’re all tempted to compare ourselves with others!
General Social Comparison Trends
Did you know that you most often compare yourself to those you perceive as better off than you?
This is called upward comparison.
A study found that we engage in upward comparison 4 times more often than downward comparison,
which is comparing ourselves to those who we perceive as worse off than us.
Social Media & Comparison
88% of young adults say they compare themselves to others on social media.
Instagram use, in particular, has been linked with body image issues:
32% of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse
Gender Differences
Women tend to compare appearance and social relationships more often.
Men tend to compare career success and physical strength more often.
However, both genders report similar emotional impacts from these comparisons.
Psychological & Emotional Effects
People who frequently compare themselves to others are:
More likely to experience depression, envy, guilt, and regret.
Less likely to feel gratitude and contentment.
Transition to Main Point
So if comparing ourselves to others has such negative effects…
WHY DO WE DO IT?
There is a healthy benefit of comparison,
that helps us to evaluate ourselves,
and strive to get better…
But most often, our sinful nature desires to be better than others!
This sin is rooted in pride…
our desire to boast in ourselves!
Rather than boasting in ourselves,
what we need to learn to say is…
Title
Title
All My Boast Is In Jesus
All My Boast Is In Jesus
This is the title of the new song we sang this morning.
The theme of the song is looking at all the blessings we have from God,
which are totally undeserved!
There is nothing we DID to deserve anything from God,
which removes all grounds for boasting in ourselves.
For this reason, we should not be proud, boasting in ourselves,
but all our boast should be in Jesus and what HE has done!
Verse 1 of the song says…
Verse 1
What wonder of wonders, what love is this
That Christ would die for me
His goodness, His merit, His righteousness,
This sinner’s only plea
O foolish pride, be crucified,
The work is finished
Since Jesus, the Son of God, was willing to die for us,
and give us His righteousness,
we have no right to boast or be proud…
HE has finished the work!
Therefore…
Chorus 1
All my boast is in Jesus,
All my hope is His love
And I will glory forever
In what the cross has done
This is the humble attitude of those who truly recognize
what God, through Christ, has done for them!
BillBoard
BillBoard
And this is the attitude John the Baptist had!
Through his example,
This morning we are going to be encouraged to:
Humbly Rejoice That God Uses Others
Humbly Rejoice That God Uses You
Humbly Rejoice That Jesus Is God And You Are Not
Prayer for Illumination
Prayer for Illumination
Lord…
Scripture
Scripture
We are continuing our series in the Gospel according to John,
and today we are picking up in…
John 3:22-36.
Introduce
Introduce
Up to this point in the Gospel According to John,
we’ve seen Jesus step onto the scene,
not just as a teacher or miracle worker,
but as the very Son of God—full of grace and truth—
inviting people into a new kind of life.
From calling His first followers,
to turning water into wine,
to speaking with Nicodemus about being born again,
Jesus is gently but boldly revealing who He is and what it means to truly know and believe in Him.
Read
Read
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Transition
The first thing we are going to see,
is that we should…
1. Humbly Rejoice That God Uses Others
1. Humbly Rejoice That God Uses Others
As our passage begins, we see that BOTH Jesus and John are baptizing.
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).
They both had found places where there was water,
and they were baptizing people who were coming.
From a human perspective, this seems like a rivalry waiting to happen!
They are both in the same “business”,
and are “competing” for the same people.
Our suspicions are proven right with what we read next…
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”
John’s disciples are having a discussion with a Jew about purification.
We don’t know exactly what they are talking about,
but given their concern that everyone is going to Jesus,
we could suspect it has something to do with the difference between John and Jesus’ baptisms.
“Why are you both baptizing?”
“What’s the difference between the two?”
“Why is everyone going to Jesus now?”
And this is what John’s disciples are concerned about...
Everyone is going to Jesus now!
Maybe they were concerned for John’s reputation,
but they are comparing their ministries,
and concerned that John’s numbers are shrinking,
while Jesus’s numbers are growing.
These disciples needed to:
Humbly Rejoice That God Uses Others!
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
Because…
a. God is the One who sent them
a. God is the One who sent them
John the Baptist
We know from the beginning of the Gospel According to John,
that John the Baptist was sent by God,
to bear witness about Jesus.
As he went about teaching about the coming Messiah,
telling people to prepare,
many people came to him from all over!
And we know that Jesus would have known about it,
yet He didn’t get angry, bitter, or jealous that people were going to John…
He knew that God had sent Him,
and was happy that God was using Him to save people!
Jesus
Now, by God’s plan, it was time for Jesus’s ministry to grow,
and John’s disciples needed to
humbly rejoice that God was using others to save people!
John’s disciples understood from John’s own teaching,
that he was pointing to the Jesus, the One to come,
and they should have rejoiced now that He was here,
and that His ministry was beginning to thrive,
because He had been called by God!
Rather than comparing and being concerned that Jesus was growing in popularity,
they should have humbly rejoiced that God sent Jesus to the world.
Transition
You should also
Humbly Rejoice That God Uses Others because…
b. God is the one who gives their growth
b. God is the one who gives their growth
Verse 23 says John was baptizing because…
23 people were coming and being baptized
In verse 26 John’s disciples say of Jesus…
26 look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”
Both John and Jesus are baptizing people who are coming to them,
because God is working in their hearts!
Last week Pastor Jonah preached on John 3:8
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In the same way that we do not understand or control where the wind comes from or where it goes,
we do not understand or control where the Holy Spirit comes from or goes.
But we see the evidence and reality of the Spirit when we see people coming to Christ,
and we know it is God working in their hearts.
This is what is happening in both John and Jesus’s ministries,
God is working in people’s hearts by the power of the Spirit,
as people are coming to confess and repent of their sins,
seeking to be cleansed,
preparing themselves for the arrival of God’s kingdom.
Summary
You should humbly rejoice that God uses others,
because it is God who is sending His servants out, and
it is God who gives the growth.
APPLY
APPLY
Jealous Of Other’s
This is so relevant to us isn’t it brothers and sisters,
Because we are so prone to compare ourselves to one another!
How many times do we get caught looking at what God is doing in someone else’s life,
and our response is the same as John’s disciples…
“Look, they’re getting all the blessings…”
“Look, they are getting all the attention…”
“Look, everyone is going to them!”
We are jealous, envious, and bitter at what God is doing through them!
What we ought to do is:
Humbly Rejoice That God Uses Others!
God has sent them, and is growing fruit through them,
and if God is the One doing it,
do we want to get in the way of that?!?
No! We should humbly rejoice that God is using them,
because people are being saved,
and believers are growing to be like Jesus.
Jealous Of Other Churches
We can also resentful when other churches are thriving.
We can become bitter and jealous,
comparing ourselves to them,
thinking we are in competition with them!
Jesus and John the Baptist were on the same team,
they were both fulfilling God’s mission for them,
and pointing people to Jesus and their need for Him!
We need to recognize that as well…
when there are other gospel believing and teaching churches,
We are not in competition with them…
WE ARE ON THE SAME TEAM!
So when we hear of the growth their experiencing…
when we hear of people being baptized…
when we hear of ways people are growing through their ministries…
Let’s humbly rejoice that God is using others!
God is the One who has sent and called them,
and He is the One bringing growth,
so we should humbly rejoice that God uses others,
and give God all the glory!
Transition
The next thing we are going to see,
is that you should…
2. Humbly Rejoice That God Uses You
2. Humbly Rejoice That God Uses You
The whole context of this passage is,
that John’s disciples come to him saying,
“everyone is going to Jesus.”
Where John’s ministry was the one thriving before,
now it is diminishing,
while Jesus’s is beginning to thrive.
What we see from John,
is that he humbly rejoices that he was used by God at all!
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
John understood that…
a. You have what you have because of God
a. You have what you have because of God
After John’s disciples express their concern,
verse 27 says…
27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
Think about your life…
Did you cause one cell from you mom and one cell from your dad to come together and grow into a baby?
Did you give yourself parents who fed you and kept you alive?
Did you give yourself the ability to gain knowledge and wisdom to do the things you’re doing today?
NO! You had no control over anything of these things,
they were graciously given to you by God!
See, John recognized that a person cannot receive EVEN ONE THING,
unless it is given him from God.
As John’s disciples come to him and express their concerns that everyone is going to Jesus,
John is not concerned,
because he understood all that he had was because of God.
It wasn’t his ministry…
IT WAS GOD’S!
And therefore John wasn’t concerned that God was taking it away,
because it wasn’t his in the first place.
John the Baptist understood what Job in the OT understood.
After losing all his property and his children,
we read in Job 1:20-21…
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
You shouldn’t get upset and angry when God chooses to take something from you,
because He is the One who gave it to you!
And He can decide to take it away for His own good purposes,
so we must be humble, and rejoice that God uses us.
Transition
John also understood that…
b. You have what you have to exalt God
b. You have what you have to exalt God
John understood the ministry he had been given was because of God,
and was to be used,
not to exalt himself,
but to exalt God!
John says in verse 28…
28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’
John reminds his disciples that this was all part of the plan.
“Remember, I am not the Christ,
I have been sent before him…
to point people to him!”
This is the reason I have what I have…
the reason I was given this ministry…
to exalt God!
John goes on to say…
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John uses the imagery of a wedding where he is the “friend of the bridegroom” (best man).
David Guzik, speaking on this verse says…
“In the Jewish wedding customs of that day, the friend of the bridegroom arranged many of the details of the wedding and brought the bride to the groom. Nevertheless, the friend of the bridegroom was never the focus of attention, and wanted it that way.”
The best man’s joy is not in getting attention for himself,
but for all the attention to be on his friend being united with his bride!
Summary
John recognizes that Jesus is going to become greater and greater,
and as He does, John is going to become less and less,
but He is okay with that because he understands:
everything he had was because of God,
and for the purpose of exalting God!
Therefore, John humbly rejoiced that God used him at all!
APPLY
APPLY
Is this your attitude?
Or are you frustrated and upset
that you’re not getting the credit you think you deserve?
If you are playing the comparison game,
and are jealous/resentful when others are doing well,
it shows that in your heart you’re self-seeking…
You’re serving God for what YOU hope to get out of it!
You want the credit…
You want to be praised…
You want the glory…
It is this attitude and sinful motives that lead to...
Spiritual Pride
It is so easy to begin thinking you are something special,
that you are the reason for the growth and blessing in your life,
or through your ministry.
God’s Anger at Spiritual Pride
Isaiah prophesies about spiritually proud people who say,
5 “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.
Spiritually proud people are like smoke in God’s nostrils.
You know when you’re at a campfire,
and the smoke keeps getting in your eyes and nose,
and it burns, and your nose starts running…
how annoying that gets after a while…
That’s how God views spiritually proud people!
They are a pain, obnoxious, and annoying.
Rather than being proud, boasting in yourself,
you need to recognize that
you have what you have because of God,
and it is for His glory!
You just happen to be the one He’s using.
Spiritual Pride Among Churches
We can also become spiritually proud as churches…
We can see how God is moving and causing growth in our church,
and begin to be spiritually proud,
thinking we’re better than others!
This must not be so brothers and sisters!
If God is working in and through us,
we must come to understand what John understood,
that we can’t receive even one thing unless it is given from heaven…
We have what we have because of God!
As a church, we are not the Saviour of the world…
We are not Jesus, and we cannot save anyone.
Our job is to point people to Jesus,
give Him ALL THE GLORY…
and humbly rejoice that He uses us!
Summary
Even though God could do this all on His own,
He graciously involves us in how He’s redeeming people to Himself,
therefore we should:
Humbly Rejoice That God Uses Us!
Transition
The next thing we are going to see,
is that we should…
3. Humbly Rejoice That Jesus Is God And You Are Not
3. Humbly Rejoice That Jesus Is God And You Are Not
The words of John in…
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
are the last words we will read of John the Baptist.
John’s whole point was to emphasize that he is not the Christ,
but that he came to point to Christ.
The apostle John picks up from here in verse 31 and affirms what John is saying…
Jesus:
came from heaven,
with a message from heaven, and
authority from heaven,
This proves that He is God, and you are not!
Therefore, Jesus is worthy of our faith and trust,
so believe in Him!
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
You should…
a. Believe in Jesus’ heavenly origin
a. Believe in Jesus’ heavenly origin
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.
Here John the apostle is specifically contrasting,
John the Baptist, who is from earth; and
Jesus, who is from heaven.
John the Baptist was from the earth,
and therefore limited in his knowledge and understanding.
Jesus was from heaven above, and therefore above all.
Jesus is not limited in knowledge and understanding,
but far greater than John the Baptist,
because He is from heaven!
John is making the point that Jesus is God,
and John the Baptist is not.
If you were willing to trust, believe, and follow John the Baptist,
you should be far more willing to trust, believe, and follow Jesus…
because He is from heaven.
You should also…
b. Believe in Jesus’ heavenly testimony
b. Believe in Jesus’ heavenly testimony
John has already said that Jesus comes from above,
and since He is from heaven…
32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.
Since Jesus is from heaven,
He can speak to heavenly things.
Jesus can tell us things about heaven, and God, and the kingdom of God,
because He is from heaven!
Yet John states that not everyone believes Jesus’ testimony.
But those who do, confirm that Jesus is God,
and speaks the truth.
In verse 34 we see a reference to the Trinity.
We see:
“he whom God as sent” - referring to God the Son;
“God has sent” & “the words of God” - referring to God the Father;
“he gives the Spirit” - referring to God the Spirit.
Here John is wanting us to believe Jesus’ testimony because:
God sent Him to speak the truth, and
gave Him His own Spirit without measure,
therefore we should believe His testimony,
because JESUS IS GOD!
We should also…
c. Believe in Jesus’ heavenly authority
c. Believe in Jesus’ heavenly authority
John continues…
35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
It is the Father’s joy to give Jesus all authority,
because He loves Him!
John wants us to understand that God is the One who approved Jesus.
Since God loves Jesus, and was pleased to give “all things into his hand”,
you should believe Him!
Because, as verse 36 says…
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Bill Cook says…
“There are only two responses a person can make to Jesus: unbelief (loving darkness) or belief (coming to the light). Those who believe have eternal life. Those who disobey the Son not only do not “see life”, but God’s wrath ‘abides’ on them.”
There are only two responses to who you believe Jesus to be,
but they couldn’t have more opposing outcomes!
If you believe in God’s own testimony of Himself through Jesus,
that He came from heaven, with a heavenly message, and heavenly authority,
you are saved from God’s wrath, and will have eternal life!
If you do not believe and therefore obey Jesus,
you remain under God’s wrath.
APPLY
APPLY
If you are here this morning,
and you have not put your faith in Jesus,
you need to understand:
you remain under God’s wrath!
We’re not talking about some grumpy, mean, angry God,
up there in heaven who is just waiting to punish you anytime you do something wrong…
We’re talking about a holy, righteous God, who is perfect and just,
who is angry at the harm, and destruction caused by your sin,
and yet, who loved you enough to send His Son to
cleanse you of your sin, to
free you from sins power, and to
give you the hope of eternal life!
You see, God understands that sin promises joy and satisfaction,
but leaves us feeling empty, guilty, and ashamed.
God wants us to experience true and lasting joy and satisfaction,
through obedience to His ways!
God knows that only when we love and follow Him,
will we have true happiness!
Humbly rejoice that Jesus is God, and you are not!
Maybe you’re putting your faith in
a prayer you prayed once…
or that you were baptized…
or raised in a Christian home…
those things don’t save you!
There is no amount of good works that you can do earn favour with God,
and there is nothing you can give God to pay for it.
Isaiah 66:1-2 says...
1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
What can you give to God to benefit Him,
when everything is His already?!?
You can’t “do” anything to be made right with God,
not even offer to build Him a big, fancy house…
So how do you find favour with God?
The one who is humble, and contrite in spirit.
The Hebrew word for contrite literally means:
crippled, lame, or broken.
It refers to a person who understands
how sinful they are,
how broken they are,
how unworthy they are…
and therefore,
how desperately they need God!
God doesn’t listen to the person who is arrogant and proud,
or the person who has a lot of money and status as if God needed those things…
But God looks to the person who is aware of their sin and deeply sorrowful for it,
and understands their need of His grace!
You, who are crippled under the weight of your sin…
BELIEVE IN JESUS, WHO PAID FOR YOUR DEBT OF SIN…
You who realize how far short you fall of God’s holy standard…
BELIEVE IN JESUS, WHO GIVES YOU HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS…
You who understand you are under God’s wrath…
BELIEVE IN JESUS, WHO GIVES YOU ETERNAL LIFE,
AND SAVES YOU FROM GOD’S COMING JUDGEMENT!
Closing
Closing
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
In the book of Genesis we are told of Lot, Abraham’s nephew,
who goes to live in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah.
These were wicked, evil cities,
and God reveals to Abraham that He is going to destroy them because of their extreme wickedness.
God sends two angels into the city,
and Lot invites them into his home,
and they warn him of God’s coming wrath,
telling him to flee the city.
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
They ignored Lot’s warning to them,
and as a result they were destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah.
Purpose of OT
The reason we have these historical events recorded for us,
is so that we understand and take God’s Word seriously.
God is a just God, and His final judgement is coming,
where He will pour out His wrath on sin!
This may sound unloving, but it is the most loving thing I can say to you,
and that you can tell others!
Lot loved his sons in law enough to warn them of God’s coming judgement.
They refused to believe him, but that didn’t stop God’s wrath from coming.
We know from Jesus’ own words that God’s final judgement is coming.
You can refuse to believe it if you want,
but that won’t stop it from coming.
Will you believe your earthly wisdom,
or will you believe Jesus, who
came from heaven,
testified to heavenly wisdom,
with heavenly authority?
Point to Christ (How does the Gospel speak to this?)
Point to Christ (How does the Gospel speak to this?)
The truth of the gospel,
is that Jesus took the wrath of God for us!
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Though we have all gone astray, following our sinful desires,
Jesus willingly took our place,
suffering the consequence for OUR sin,
taking the punishment of God for us,
giving us peace with God!
All we need to do is humbly confess our sin to God,
to have contrite hearts that understand our need for God’s help,
and turn in faith to Jesus,
and His blood pays and atones for our sins!
This results in a new heart through the power of the Holy Spirit,
who gives us an inward desire to obey Jesus,
believing His Word, and desiring to live by it!
Friend, put your faith in Jesus today,
and find peace and joy that lasts for all eternity!
Land the Plane (Last call to action)
Land the Plane (Last call to action)
Brothers and sisters,
since Christ has so willingly given Himself,
let us not seek our own glory but gladly say,
“All My Boast Is In Jesus!”
Let us not compare ourselves with others,
but humbly rejoice that God uses others.
God is the One who sends them and gives them growth,
so we should be humble, and rejoice Jesus’s name is magnified through
people being saved, and
growing into the image of Jesus.
Let us not become spiritually proud in and of ourselves,
but humbly rejoice that God uses us.
Everything we have is from God, and for His glory,
so we should seek to be faithful,
grateful to be used by our great Father in heaven!
Let us not look to our own earthly wisdom,
but humbly rejoice that Jesus is God and we are not.
Jesus came from heaven, with a heavenly testimony and heavenly authority…
Let’s seek and follow Jesus and His ways,
as we look forward to spending all eternity in His presence!
Let’s pray!
