Untitled Sermon (5)

Are You Satisfied?

John:3:22-36 will be our text this morning and I love this passage of Scripture so much so verse 30 is tatted on me. It has become my favorite verse in scripture and I have to be completely honest with you that this verse is perhaps the thing I find myself struggling with the most lately.

And so I titled this sermon today “Are You Satisfied?” And my reasoning is because I have not given it my best in recent months to live this verse out. There have been days and moments where instead of Him increasing and me decreasing it has been the other way around. But I will say I want to believe that I am not the only person in this place today who feels like this.

And I believe this is so because I have not been satisfied with Jesus as the all satisfying being that He is. Now that is no fault to Him by no means but rather I know it is because of me and my flesh.

So my prayer is that we will all be able to walk out of here today being able to answer the question Am I satisfied and today the correct answer is Jesus, I am satisfied with Jesus and wo He is because I believe that John here exemplifies what being satisfied in Christ really means.

So lets read.

Verse 22-24 Some time After the conversation with Nicodemus we find that Jesus and His disciples were in Judea and Jesus is spending time with the disciples and they are baptizing people. No big deal Jesus and His boys are hanging out, baptizing, chilling ya know normal guys weekend in Judea.

It just so happens that John the Baptist is there, the one who is Jesus cousin, He is the forerunner of Christ, He is the one who baptized Jesus, He is the one who while in His mothers womb leaped for joy when Mary walked up during her and Elizabeth’s pregnancy.

John hasn’t been thrown into prison yet and which ultimately led to His beheading. So no big deal so far right. Jesus and His boys baptizing and hanging out, John and His students baptizing, there’s a lot of water there so plenty of room for baptisms. Like getting baptized on Oprah you get baptized and you get baptized and you get baptized oh wait never mind that’s a baby we don’t do that here.

So everything is good right? well like I said so far everything is good until verse 25.

Verse 25-26 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification. So a legit thing to discuss if you think about the context here is John foretelling about Jesus and how its all about Him and there Jesus is with His boys baptizing and all ad so the next guy comes up to John to get baptized and John says by the way it is all about that man across the river and in His name I baptize you. Little confusing right. But what is also happening is John’s side of the river for baptisms is getting smaller and smaller and les and less.

So when this discussion arose they said well lets go to John and figure this one out. So they said Hey teacher John our attendance over here is down, and that Jesus guy who you been proclaiming and forerunning for you’ll never guess what is happening people are going to Him and they’ve stopped coming to us.

These people had to be Baptist, attendance drops and they run to the John and say Pastor what are you doing wrong numbers are down? Joking aside Think about tis question for a moment. John has proclimed, baptized, foretold, and has told people I am just the messenger and the forerunner it aint about me but He who comes after me and when people are going to Him the students are worried about the numbers and John is just sitting back satisfied that people are going to Jesus.

Perhaps the worst church growth strategy out there preach em right to the other congregation is what these disciples of John were thinking it John didn’t look at it that way because He saw and understood something bigger than what they were seeing.

Church how often do we get upset and dissatisfied because we see things like these students of John did? When Jesus is lifeted on High and gets all the Glory does it aggitate us our satisfy us? It easily and often satisfies us as long as we were the chosen vessel in that moment but when someone else is being used oh boy the ol enemy comes out and tries t whisper hey theyre looking at that instrument and that servant and not you.

I love John’s answer tho in Verses 27-30He answers them and says A man can recieve nothing unless it has been given to him form heaven. Everything that is good, useful, and profitable in our lives comes from God the Father. The spiritual gifts in our lives come from above, our gospel assignments and our roles we serve best in come from God above. Whether you take out the trash our stand and preach when done for God and Honors him its from above. When you’re at work and have the faith and testimony and courage to live and share the gospel with co workers that comes from God. When you crush it as a spouse, parent, child, employee it comes from God. John is also saying that His assignment from God is good.

But there is a ultimate good that John is talking about in His start to His answer. This receiving John is talking about is the receiving I believe as understanding and recognizing that Jesus has come from Heaven. And John is acknowledging that Jesus is the ultimate thing a man can receive nd He supports that as He continues on.

He reminds the students I have told you that I am not the Christ, but that I have been sent ahead. John reminds them it is not about Him but the one after Him. John has not claimed to be the one but to only be the one sent before the One. John understands that God has given Him this assignment in life to prepare the way of the Lord, to live in the wilderness, baptize, and proclaim about the One who is greater than He.

John lived in the wilderness off locust and wild honey preaching about the coming Messiah and He understands that has been given to Him from God and He’s happy about it and actually more than happy actually He is satisfied He will tell them after this beautiful illustration in verse 29.

Verse 29 John is saying that the man standing there engaged and making these vows to his betrothed and who has the bride is the bridegroom. Yall think back to your wedding marrried folk, don’t you remember how in love you were with that person in thst very moment. You felt like life could not get any better. And you think to yourself now about that time and look at your spouse and those feelings start to flood your heart and mind and then they break wind and you’re brought back to you’re reality of being stuck with him forever.

But seriously John is saying here that the wedding isn’t about the best man it is about the bride and groom. John says and the friend rejoices greatly as he hears the voice of the groom speak oh His love for his bride and He looks at them and says So this joy of mine has been made full. John is watching his crod get smaller and smaller and He watches as Jesus crowd gets bigger and bigger and He watches as Jesus does ministry to His bride the church and John see’s al this and He is thankful to see Jesus being exalted and being with His bride the Church, and it satisfies Him.

Church are you and I satisfied with Jesus being the center of everything? Are we satisfies watching Jesus minister and heal broken people? Are we satisfies when the spotlight, credit, fame, honorable mentions do not include our name but to witness and see Jesus be lifted on High and be magnified?

Are you satisfied with Jesus being the greatest joy and source of satisfaction of our lives and of the life of the Church?

Not your title, not your accomplishments, not your sacrifices, not you but HIM!

Verse 30 He must increase, but I must decrease should be a daily cry of ours. He must be magnified, He must be worshiped, He must be praised, He must be sought after, He must be the message we pour into our own lives and into other all around us. And what I said at the beginning has been my struggle because there are times in my life looks like I must increase and He must decrease. I exemplify that through my screen time on my phone and not intentional time with family, looks like more time thinking about the cold front coming during hunting season and less time meditating on God’s word. Less patience and more impatience.

Im not saying we have to be perfect but you know when there’s more of you in your life than there’s been of Jesus. So how do we find this all satisfaction in who Jesus is? We look at how John exemplifies Jesus in 31-36

Verses 31-36 Jesus can satisfy us because He is above all things, He is God and we are not, Jesus who has come form Heaven is above all, above all hobbies, above all intrests, above all selfish fleshly desires, im not saying you can’t go hunt that cold front but don’t let that cold front consume you. Verse 32 and 33 simply put says this that there were and are people who have and will reject Jesus’ testimony but the one who accepts has made their mind up and has decided that God is true.

When someone accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior they accept that God is true, His word is true, who He is and what He has done is all true.

Verse 34 this is so good, For He whom God has sent, Jesus, speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure. Jesus is the giver of the Holy Spirit and when He pours Him out it is done without measure? Well why does He do that and why would you say it like that because Jesus power and authority are limitless and you aint worried about measuring and pouring out if you got enough to give and pour out for all eternity. Where you and I know limits and timeframes God operates in the timeframe of eternity and no limitations. And we look at Him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and say no that’s not satisfying enough for me let me get back on my phone for the next 20 second reel that will satisfy me.

We are not satisfied because we do not value Him as John valued Him, we trade eternal peace and satisfaction for things that moth and rust will have one day. Verse 35-36 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands. Jesus has all power and authority and is loved by the Father and has come to give that same kind of love to us. He who believes in the Son has eternal life Jesus will go on to say that I am the way the truth and the life and that no man comes to the father but through me. John wraps it up here with the truth and that is he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him.

Celeste come

John loves Jesus and His students enough to tell the whole truth, and the whole truth is that Jesus is not just enough for today but He is enough to satisfy that eternal longing in our souls for all eternity, He is enough to give us eternal life, and He is enough to satisfy not only our lives but to satisfy the very wrath of God towards sin that should be executed on us but instead Jesus came and lived a sinless life, he died and was resurrected three days later, then 40 some days later ascened back to the father and sits at His right hand and is interceding on our behalf and will one day come again.

Church do we value Jesus to be the all satisfying savior that He is, when we feel low, when we feel dry, we can come back to His wonderful promises and be revived and remind ourselves when life is hard, when you start to get tired of locust and honey, when it is so hard to watch others in the gospel spotlight, when people look to Jesus more than you can we be like John and say this joy of mine has been made full!

Are you satisfied?