How You Can Make Him Increase
He Must Increase • Sermon • Submitted
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· 14 viewsCIT: John the Baptizer summarized the scope of his mission: that the world's knowledge and familiarity with Jesus must increase, while at the same time his influential footprint must decrease THESIS: Every Christ follower can discover joy in this present day by taking the following two steps:
Notes
Transcript
We Love Increases
Stock Market
Vivid Picture of increases and decreases
Red numbers = decrease
Green numbers =increase
Investors love to see “Green on the Screen”
In some instances, we love decreases
Weight loss
We eat less food
We exercise more
More often than not, our focus with “increase” is ourselves
More often than not, our focus with “increase” is ourselves
Bigger portfolio
Better results
More likes, follows, or views
When it comes to our new life in Jesus Christ, our focus is flipped
No longer about us
About Him
In answering his disciples about their apparent flailing ministry, John the Baptist set the focus for himself, his disciples…and for us
John 3:30
John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.
Two steps John took to Make Jesus Increase
Two steps John took to Make Jesus Increase
1. Make a Bigger Deal of Jesus
1. Make a Bigger Deal of Jesus
“He must increase”
“He must continue to increase”
In popularity
In familiarity
In prominence
Headlines
John’s entire ministry
Prepare people for Jesus’ arrival
...and here He is
Consider this:
Jesus as God the Son
Infinite
Eternal
All-Powerful
There is no way to make too big a deal of Him
All that
You have
You are
You ever will be
All wrapped up in Him
The church exists
To make a bigger deal of Jesus
Because we live in a world that desperately needs to know Him
How big a deal He really is
Your mission
To know Jesus
To make Him known
Because
He Must Increase
He must increase, but I must decrease.
2. Make a Lesser Deal of Yourself
2. Make a Lesser Deal of Yourself
He must increase, but I must decrease.
“I must decrease”
Present passive infinitive
ἐλαττόω
“to lower”
“I to be continually lessened, lowered, decreased”
John was not going to be able
to decrease himself
he would have to be decreased by an outside event
Similarly
You cannot concentrate your efforts here
It will have to happen as a by-product
Of making a bigger deal of Jesus
Now What?
Now What?
He must increase, but I must decrease.
Now What?
John had to remind his disciples of the mission:
Jesus must increase
He (and his disciples) must continue to become less and less the focus
Our mission is still the same
Know Jesus
Make Him known
Make a bigger deal of Him
Make a lesser deal of Me
Most effective way to do this:
Focus on making Jesus increasee
Talk about Him
Pray for others
Pray with others
Talk to Him
About yourself
About others
