John 3:22-30 BT LFL

INTRO

Welcome BT and our looking for light series, We are sharing about the life of Jesus that we find recorded in the gospel of Joh. We make these videos because we believe (I believe) that jesus is the true light of this world and his light helps in our darkness. Its that simple. We really want people to know Jesus. I think the more you know about Jesus the more meaning, purpose, hope you will find in your life. I know that’s a bold claim - maybe a ridiculous claim to you - But listen for your self, read for your self - Who is better for your life and the life of this world than Jesus?

Yea so that’s what I believe about how important Jesus is - Here I stand I can do no other - God help me.

SO a question for us all -

What keeps you from following Jesus (take a moment)? Now don’t say well I’m a christian so I follow Jesus. There are things inside and outside that keep you from following Jesus. - what keeps you from actually following Jesus in your day to day to life?

IN this episode we meet John the baptist again (again if you have been listening to this series). I think he really follows Jesus. As one who claims to and also fails to follow Jesus I appreciate John the baptist so much because he’s that guy who really does something. You know that friend who says she is gonna do something and then really does it . That friend can be annoying because you talk about big things you are gonna do but then you don’t. John is that friend-. John really does it.

John is a good picture of what it would it look like to not just call yourself a christian but to be one who really follows Jesus. We will see that in this passage as we learn about how he understands himself compared to jesus. Listen along to the story, and then I’ll share some thoughts where we will note some of what keeps us from following Jesus and how John is different.

This scene is from John 3:23-30.

John has been a voice crying out in the wilderness. He is starting a renewal movement outside the religious and politcal establishment. People are coming to him far away from the capital to the outer rim by the jordan river. People are repenting and being baptized. The movement is growing. He’s kind of a big deal. The leaders of israel are taking notice. John meets Jesus and begins pointing others to him. (this was all told in John 1 )

After this Jesus’ movement takes off! He does signs and wonders and people start following him

Now John’s crew and Jesus’ crew run into each other again - in john 3 we find them both baptizing.

Now John’s baptizing near Salim because there’s a lot of water. The people keep coming and getting baptized. (this movement was moving people. They were leaving old lives and committing to a new path_

Then an argument breaks out between some of John’s disciples and another Jewish man. They argue about purification (which seems wierd to our culture but is a such a big deal). we still have lots of taboos about cleanliness and pure/impure too. But we live in our cultures so we might are a bit blind to our purity rules- though we are in the middle of a pandemic - all of suddern we have gotten real serious about how to keep things clean and who to talk to and what is and is not ok to touch).

so they bring this dispute to John. Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan Rive, the man you were talking about (jesus) well look - He’s baptizing now and people are starting to go over to him.

I imagine these followers of john concerned, maybe jealous. Hey i thought we were part of this cool movement. Now this Jesus guy is doing something similar. What do we John?

John responds, A human can’t do anything at all unless it is given to him from heaven. Our mission, our purpose our life - its given from God. Now you guys know that I said I am not the messiah. But I’m the hype man for the messiah. (This isn’t my movement_ I’m the bridegroom. I’m the one who goes and my job is to get bride to the church on time. But guess what - the groomsman gets to be by the goom and in fact I rejoice that I hear his voice. Being a part of this makes my joy complete. Me must increase. I must decrease.

REFLECTION

i really like John the baptist. I think he is a tremendous example of what it looks like to trust and follow Jesus.

John is content because he sees all that he has, including his mission and purpose in life as a gift from God. And God is free to do what he chooses. -(3:27 He belives God is in control. He is content to see Jesus take control (are we content with that?

Is one of the things that keeps people from following Jesus is trusting God and letting God be in control. Is it hard for you to trust others. It is hard to not be in control- maybe that is keeping you from following Jesus.

John is 2nd and Jesus is first. John is on the side Jesus is the center. It is the jesus wedding and john is in the wedding part.

Do we refuse to follow Jesus because we want to be in the center. It is hard to let someone else be the center of attention. We all want glory for ourselves. That’s the sin of mankind - don’t eat from the tree in the center of the garden. Oh - we are going to go right to the center and eat of that tree. We like being in the center.

But life is better when Jesus is the center. Many want’s to the measure of all things and we are not. If 7 billion people all want to be the center of attention - how is that going to work out. John sees that the world is better then the loving Jesus Christ is the center.

3:29 - and that brings me Joy - we find joy in the that.

I am going to decrease as he increases. Is one reason we do not follow Jesus because we don’t want to decrease. To follow jesus means that we will be changed. Some things that are not great about ourselves that we really like will have to be melted away. We will have to lose our life to find it. We will have to die to ourself and trust that he will renew us in a way that will be glorious and better and more our true selves but it will feel like a deep loss and decrease at first.

If we became like John - and said he can increase, he can be the center, i will trust him - the thing we might find is real joy. John looks at all that is going on - ok my movement wiill deminish but i am next to jesus. I am next to the one worthy and capable of trusting. I am next to the one worthy and capable of handling the center -he is the heavy one worthy of glory - and that makes my joy complete.

It is hard to trust, it is hard to not be the center of our world, it is hard to diminish while others increase but if we did and then followed Jesus what we might find is a Joy unlike anything else we had ever known.

John was out in the wilderness eating locust and honey, whering camel hair and fighting with the religious and political leaders. He ultimately gets beheaded by King Herod - Here he is losing followers and influenct and he looks to Jesus and says - My joy has been made complete.

Maybe a reflection on being a friend, a parent, a father.

In the voyage of the dawn treader by Clive Staples Lewis we meet Eustace - who is a thorny little bugger

To follow Jesus means to surrender to his authority - But know it is a good king you follow - He is above all and over all. He is one who is worthy. It is the one who’se mouth speaks the words of God and the one breathes the Spirit of God into your life. He is the one who holds life and death.

Something you will hear me say a lot if you listen to these BT videos - we are all following someone. That’s a truth we have to reckon with - we are all surrendering to someone or some thing or some idea. We are all followers - who is worth following?

Try jesus. I mean that, wherever you are on the faith journey and i mean this for christians - i get that you have said a prayer and asked jesus to forgive you - but are you following him right now? or are you discontent, are you trying to be the center, are you trying to increase - when we do that we are a raging unhappy dragon - but when we surrender to him he peals the scales away and we find our true self - it is a painful process but it is a good one - are you following him and letting him heal you and renew you - or are you resisting?

He is lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world - He is the purifier

He is hte one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit - he purifies and then empowers. he purifies and then empower with the inspiration of the Spirit.

oneself. But the decrease of our own ministry? Generally and understandably we think that if our ministries increase, Jesus’ ministry will increase as well. John the Baptist knows better. He apparently believes that it is possible to be so consumed with Christ’s increase that one can actually be content to be less significant oneself. This is the mystery of authentic ministry. Who of us can say we have attained this poised self-diminution? It is a goal greatly to be desired.

“Then an argument broke out between the disciples of John and a Jewish gentleman about the matter of purification. - THAT”S WHAT BAPTISM IS - it is delcaring that you are being cleansed, purified, from the old ways, the dragon like ways - letting the scales be removed and letting all that isn’t your real self be washed away and then being renewed into a new life in christ.

ACTIONPLICATION APPLICATION

what do you do with something. if you read or learn something important you have to take an action on in that day or nothing will happen - it will just flout out ya brain. If this is real - if jesus is real - what do you do with what you are learning.

-what action will you take. How will you

THE JESUS YEAR.