John 3:22-36

Wed. Night Bible Study

True submission is to believe this testimony of Jesus Christ! He is above all!

Any so-called minister, any so-called minister who exalts his own office and his own position into that of a priest, a mediator, is perverted in his claims. There is only one High Priest and one Mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus. Any so-called minister who declares himself an authority over the church is a deceiver and a liar. Any so-called minister who says he exercises power over the church is a deceiver and an antichrist. Any minister who views himself as anything more than a simple Christian equal to every other Christian has corrupted himself.

In Philippians chapter 1, Paul is in prison when he writes Philippians 1 and there are some other preachers who are saying, “Ah, this is our chance to shine. You know, the old man’s in prison, now we can capture the day. He’s not able to circulate.” And so they start throwing, really, arrows at him. They’re wounding him. He uses the language. It’s not enough that I’m in chains. They’re adding pain on top of my chains by saying I’m in prison because of sin and because the Lord has punished me and they’re...verse 15, Philippians 1...they’re preaching Christ from envy. They’re preaching Christ from envy. Wow! Envy? How awful.

What’s your attitude, Paul? Verse 18, “So what. So what. Christ is proclaimed and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.” That’s...that’s...that’s the humility of the minister—Christ is preached; Christ is exalted. Some preach out of good will toward me. Some preach out of envy toward me. In any case, “Christ is preached, in that I rejoice.” John doesn’t have any competitive attitudes toward Christ or toward any other person who preaches Christ. He’s like a best man at a wedding...........................

I get what these disciples of John were feeling. Look, they don’t even mention Jesus’ name! Competition or jealousy whatever you want to call it, is easily stirred up in the fleshly heart. I find myself maybe comparing myself with others at times.

I will give you an example, there was this thing going around and it was similar to what I said at the revival 2 weeks ago. Quoted a verse that I quoted saying basically the same thing that I did. I just didn’t say it like he did, the old-fashioned preacher style, shaking his voice and all the other stuff.

I thought I said it first!

It is so easy to stir up those feelings and these guys were probably working hard and in sincere effort to be upstaged by this other group and even have some of their fellow disciples leave and follow Jesus, whew!

They missed, however, what John had been telling them since he started, this is exactly how it is supposed to happen!

Jesus must increase and I must decrease!

The voice, the voice, the voice, just keeps coming to my mind! That is all that the greatest prophet/man that has been born of woman was supposed to be. He was ordained from birth to do this! Given the Holy Spirit from birth to do this very thing, just to be a voice, declaring someone greater than he was coming!

In Luke 7, we read where John, in prison, had heard all of what Jesus was doing and so he sent his disciples to ask if this is true!.......

Then after being reassured we read in Matthew 14:1-12 of his death!

Not a victorious death in the mindset of his disciples I am sure, but I would argue a victorious life!

Not only in the life to come, but a victorious ministry!

Sometimes, I hear folks talk about Jesus and there is no sense that He is above all! It seems our praise comes from things the by-products of Jesus rather than Who is! Our praise never is what John the Baptist’s is, as the best man: “I rejoice greatly at His voice (the Voice of truth) and in His Lordship and His coming my joy is fulfilled!”

Jesus is a perfect revelation of God the Father! His testimony (the Person and Complete Work) is the perfect testimony of God and if you are willing to hear the testimony and believe it, then you know God is true!

Jesus speaks what God has told Him to speak, there are no variations, there are no changes because times have changed, these accounts that we have are what Jesus said and if He said God told Him to say it!

Jesus is a perfect revelation of God the Father! He is the highest revelation of God to man. His testimony (the Person and Complete Work) is the perfect testimony of God and if you are willing to hear the testimony and believe it, then you know God is true!