Thank you for listening to this message from LifeHouse Church.
Well good morning LifeHouse. Oh this is a full house this morning you're gonna have to do better
than that. Good morning. Yeah there it is. There it is nice and loud this morning. Well good morning.
It's great to see you in the house this morning whether you're here at Carlisle or you're up with
our family at East Shore it's great to see you up there as well or if you're joining us online
welcome it's great to have you with us here this morning. This morning you may have noticed Pastor
Kipp and Dixie are not here they're on some much needed vacation some well-deserved R&R
and they'll be back with us next Sunday. But this morning I know Pastor Kipp mentioned it last week
I wanted to mention it to you again we talked about it in the announcements baptism opportunity
opportunity coming up for you if you've accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior the next step for
you in your walk as a Christian is water baptism right Acts 2 38 says and then Peter said to them
repent that's come to Christ that's salvation and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
for the promise is to you and to your children and to all those who are afar off as many as the Lord
our God will call that process goes like this it's salvation right that's repentance that's
turning away from a life of sin and turning towards God and then water baptism that is a outward
expression of the change that Jesus has made in you right and then receiving the Holy Spirit
whenever you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you receive the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you
at that moment and then also the baptism of the Holy Spirit that is a secondary event that comes
after that after having received Jesus after being baptized in water but maybe you were baptized as a
child maybe you walked away from your faith and you're coming back to it now and you want to be
rebaptized we do rebaptisms as well that is available for you Sunday June 9th we wanted to
make sure that everybody in the house knew that that was available for you there's a short
informational meeting just explaining the process making sure you understand what baptism is that's
next Sunday June 2nd well this morning before we get into the message this morning I wanted to
take a look at where we're headed here I know there are multiple sports out there right now
high school college and professional alike that are in the playoffs who's keeping track of the
nhl playoffs anybody watching nhl playoffs three three of us okay all right well basketball
playoffs oh my goodness all right well the playoffs are on right now right the playoffs
well we keep track right of wins and losses and we mark down the scores and we make the roster
right and we tell who's in first place by looking at the top of the list
whoever's at the top of the list right is in first place
but my question is is how does this work in the kingdom of God who is in first place in the
kingdom we've been talking about the kingdom of God here at life house for weeks a couple weeks
here pastor kipp and I preached a series on it we've been talking about it last week about who
what where how does the kingdom of God work and this morning I'm going to ask us I'm going to ask
you not just who is first in the kingdom of God but who is first in our life who or what is running
our life who or what is in that top position because church whether we realize it or not
we are designed to worship something
whatever we put first in our life we're going to worship it's our nature whether that's our
money our possessions our stuff or could even be our families or our spouses right whatever we
put first in that position in our life is what we're going to follow after it's what we're going
to worship it what's it's what we're going to make the main thing in our life but as believers as
followers of Jesus we are called to put Jesus first and then everything else in the kingdom of
God it goes like this it goes Jesus number one spot and then everything else well this morning
I want to look at a passage of scripture that talks about a man who knew what it was like to
live like this to live like Jesus first and then everything else and that man is none other than
John the Baptist John the Baptist was a teacher he was a rabbi but not in a conventional sense he
didn't teach in the synagogues or in the temple John taught out in the wilderness in the wild right
we also know that John was a wild man right he says the Bible says that he ate locusts and
wild honey for his food and that his clothing was made out of camel's hair
we also know that John was related to Jesus that John's mother Elizabeth and Jesus's mother Mary
were cousins right and there's this really cool encounter in Luke 1 if you've never read it go
check it out where where Elizabeth and Mary meet and John inside of Elizabeth leaps for joy when
encountering Jesus for the first time we also know that John was sent by God to prepare the way
for the for Jesus his arrival on the scene he says that he was prophesied that he would be
the voice in the wilderness crying out we know that John baptized Jesus as well in humility he
answered that call in humility how humble would you have to be for Jesus to come to you and say
hey would you baptize me and John answers that call in humility and baptizes Jesus we also know
that John speaks out against evil he spoke out against the evil and wicked rule of the world
he spoke out against the evil and wicked ruler of Herod Antipas and ultimately that was his downfall
but the main passage of scripture that I will look at this morning is in John 3 the words will be on
the screen here the pastor will be on the screen if you got your physical bibles or your phones or
whatever turn there we're gonna be in John 3 starting in verse 26 but a little background
on this passage a little context having no context is important right amen this context on this
passage John and Jesus have already met they've already they've already been acquainted with each
other they know who each other is and Jesus's ministry is just getting ready to begin and some
of John's disciples John had disciples that followed him like Jesus did and some of John's
disciples come up to John and say hey what's going on who's this guy and John sets him straight
because he recognizes who Jesus is when others don't let's pick up in John 3 verse 26
said so John's disciples came to him and said Rabbi the man you met on the other side of the
Jordan river the one you identified as the Messiah that's Jesus is also baptizing people
and everybody is going to him instead of coming to us John replied saying no one can receive
anything unless God gives it from heaven you yourselves know how plainly I told you I am not
the Messiah I am only here to prepare the way for him it's the bridegroom who marries the bride
and the bridegroom's friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows therefore I
am filled with joy at his success and this is the key this is the key verse for this morning
he must become greater and greater and I must become less and less John knew what it looked
like to prioritize Jesus he devoted his whole life his whole ministry was preparing the way
for Jesus to come and do ministry on this earth John knew it was Jesus first and then everything
else he knew how to accomplish that in his life right he knew how to put Jesus first and foremost
he knew that Jesus must become greater and church that holds true for our lives today
Jesus must become greater in our life not just greater but the greatest Jesus must become
our top priority the most important the only thing in our life that is worthy of worship
of worship is Jesus Christ see John knew this and John recognized this as Jesus as that he was the
Messiah the sent one from God and he gets questioned on this and he points they asked John hey are you
the Messiah are you the one that God sent because he was preaching and teaching and baptizing people
and they said hey are you the Messiah are you a prophet are you this guy and he's like no no no
that's Jesus he points to Jesus whenever he gets these accolades and he even publicly declares
that Jesus is the Messiah before anyone else does in the scripture right before any other human
being declares that Jesus is the Son of God that he is the Messiah John does that and we see that
in John 1 29 and it says the next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and he said behold the
lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world John sees Jesus and says that's it he's the guy
John knew the importance of Jesus he knew that his ministry on earth that Jesus's ministry on earth
will be the foundation to bring all people right with God and he knew that John knew that his very
existence was to make the path for Jesus to come when pushed on the matter by the religious leaders
John replies by quoting the words of the prophet Isaiah they're asking John they're saying who are
you are you are you Jesus are you are you the Messiah are you the sent one of God are you the
prophet are you Elijah and he replies to them with the words of the prophet Isaiah he says
in John 1 23 he said I am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness make straight the way
of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah said now those who were sent from the Pharisees those are religious
leaders of the day the the Israel the religious leaders in that area they asked him saying that
why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet and John answered them
and saying I baptize with water but there stands one among you whom you do not know it is he who
is coming after me is preferred before me whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose
in verse 27 there it says preferred before me that literally means ranks higher than me that is a
term of rank like a military term he's saying Jesus and then me and then everything else John
knew what it meant to live with this purpose see John's father Zechariah was a a priest in the
temple in the in the synagogue right he John grew up knowing what this devotion and sacrifice to
ministry looked like John knew that his ministry was solely about preparing the way for Jesus to
come and when he encounters Jesus he's like that's it that's the guy this is the Messiah this is who
we have been waiting for because in the nation of Israel they were God was silent for 400 years they
didn't hear anything from God there was no more prophets no more teachers there was no direct
revelation from God happening they were relying on the teaching and then the word but there was
no current revelation for 400 years and then Jesus comes on the scene John said that's it this is the
guy John had his priorities right he knew that Jesus must become greater he knew that it was
Jesus first and then everything else as he church God has a set order for our life as well and it is
for our benefit God wants best for us he wants to bless us and provide a better life for us
Jesus becoming greater in our lives means putting him first means putting him as the top priority
in our life the number one seed if you will the first place the top ranking official literally
when we call Jesus our Lord and Savior Lord is literally a position of title it is a position
of rank it means putting him up here and we answer his lordship in fact the Old Testament
God while giving Moses the Ten Commandments says this in Exodus 20 and verse 2 he said I am the
Lord your God who rescued you from the land of Egypt the place of your slavery you must not have
any other gods but me you must not make for yourself any idol of any kind or an image of
anything in the heavens or on earth or in the sea church God is jealous for us God is jealous for
us God wants us to worship him and him alone you might be saying all right pastor Andrew that's
all fine and good like I don't worship any other gods I don't worship anything else I'm not bowing
down to any idols what are you talking about church the convicting part of this message for
all of us is anything we place above Jesus in our life becomes an idol is a false God we can't say
Jesus is the greatest thing in our life and put things before him we can't say Jesus is our Lord
and Savior and not put him first they don't go together they don't go like that we worship what
we prioritize in our life what we put on that top position is what we are going to worship whether
we realize it or not and that might be your job your work requirements your career
could be your spouse right I've seen people worship their spouse yes your spouse is a gift
from God but they are not meant to be above God maybe you worship your kids ouch right Jesus
deserves to be first in our life he requires it we must make Jesus greater in our life and we do
this when we prioritize Jesus over everything else maybe this looks like getting up early in
the morning when you have a busy day and you know you want them five minutes of sleep but maybe it
looks like getting up early and reading your Bible spending time in the Word maybe it looks like
setting time aside in your schedule to pray and just spend time with God maybe it looks like
prioritizing church in your life spending time together with other believers in your life group
discipleship with each other it also looks like putting Jesus first in every aspect of our life
putting Jesus first in your home putting Jesus first in your family your work and even your
finances putting Jesus first and then everything else looks like giving him complete control over
our life but in order for us to give Jesus a greater position some things are going to have
to change in our life we can't just say we want that we can't just stay the way that we are we
have to make changes we must take action and John the Baptist said it best in John 3 30 we must
he must become Jesus must become greater and greater and I must become less and less in order
in order for Jesus to become greater and greater in our life whatever the biggest thing in the way
is whatever's there he has to dethrone that he has to be has to upset that right and sometimes
that biggest thing in the way is us we get in the way of that sometimes our selfishness what we want
our desires I promise you if you spend any time around children you know you do not have to teach
kids to be selfish they get it right from the get-go our way of living our way of doing things we
prioritize that above Jesus sometimes our desires that don't align with God that's our sinful nature
that's our flesh that's what we struggle with sometimes that's what we prioritize above Jesus
but whenever we become Jesus followers we must realize that we aren't the most important in our
life anymore for Jesus to become greater we must become less
hear me out when I say this I am not saying we aren't important to God I'm not saying we don't
matter because we do matter Jesus wouldn't have came to this earth if we didn't matter right God
loved us so much that's why he spent sent Jesus in the first place no I'm saying we need to become
less important than Jesus in our own life when we accept Jesus he becomes the main character of our
story and not us we must seek to become humble as Jesus was humble us becoming less is about humility
it's about recognizing that we are no longer calling the shots that we're not in charge anymore
and following Jesus in that humility I love this quote by C.S. Lewis says humility is not thinking
less of yourself it is thinking of yourself less and the word of God calls us to humility calls us
back to humility and against pride time and time again this morning I'm going to give you a couple
rapid fire scriptures you ready so you're ready if you're ready with me all right great Colossians
312 says since God shows you to be a holy people he loves you must clothe yourselves with tender
heart and mercies kindness and humility gentleness and patience Ephesians 4 2 always be humble and
gentle be patient with each other making allowances for each other's faults because of your love
James 4 10 humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up in honor Luke 14 11 for those
who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted so we can all
agree right humility is important to God yes of course it is of course it is John the Baptist knew
a thing or two about humility too right I mentioned it earlier briefly but Mark 1 6 records that his
clothes were woven of course camel hair and he wore a leather belt around his waist and for food he
ate locusts and wild honey who wants to go home locusts and wild honey for lunch today no thanks
I'm good wild honey maybe locusts not so much John we get this misconception about John the Baptist
if you grew up in church and you learn these stories about John the Baptist we get this
notion that John wanted to live like this that he that he had to live like this but he didn't live
like this because he had to John was in the priestly line with his father being a priest in
the nation of Israel John could have lived a rather lavish and cushy lifestyle but he knew his calling
he knew that his calling was to be out in the wilderness preparing the way baptizing people for
Jesus to come and I believe that the greatest example of humility in the Bible is Jesus
because Jesus came to this earth Jesus came to this earth he put on a human body he became 100%
human and 100% God Jesus is the only 200 percenter that ever lived he served others wherever he went
whether it was convenient or not that's humility and Jesus broke tradition he broke time and time
and time again tradition and the most drastic concession of that of that breaking of that
tradition is whenever he washed the disciples feet he was their rabbi their teacher it wasn't his job
to do that it was the job of the servant or the lowest in the household but Jesus sees this as an
opportunity to walk in humility and does so if you turn with me to John 13 one we'll find that account
John 13 one says before the Passover celebration Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this
world and to return to his father he had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth and now he
loved them to the very end it was time for supper and the devil had already prompted Judas son of
Simon Iscariot to betray Jesus Jesus knew that the father had given him authority over everything and
that he had come from God and would return to God he got up from the table so he got up from the
table took off his robe and wrapped a towel around his waist and poured water into a basin and then
he began to wash the disciples feet and drying them with the towel he had around him jumped down
to verse 12 it says after washing their feet he put on his robe again and sat down and asked do
you understand what I was doing you call me teacher and lord positions of authority over you
and you're right because that's what I am and since I am your lord and teacher have washed your
feet you ought to also wash each other's feet I have given you an example to follow do as I have
done to you I tell you the truth slaves are not greater than their master nor is the messenger
more important than the one who sends the message now that you know these things God will bless you
for doing them Jesus gives us and his disciples in this past is the ultimate example of what
humility looks like Jesus having coming to realization and knowing what he is about to do
this is very soon before Jesus goes to the cross Jesus sees what's coming he knows what's coming
and how does he respond by washing the disciples feet he responds in humility he responds in putting
himself less I love how Jesus ends this passage of scripture he says I've done this for you
now go show this humility to other people he says I've showed you how to do it now go and do it
and do it that the worship team would come in closing this morning we have a choice as well
of how we are going to respond to Jesus's call for humility will we exalt ourselves and make
ourselves more important than we ought to be or we answer with humility and put Jesus first
because without humility without us becoming less Jesus can't become more
I'm gonna ask this question this morning what does it look like for us to become less
what does it look like for us to become less and I really like how Jesus puts it in Matthew 6 33
is to seek the kingdom of God above all else that's Jesus first everything else and live
righteously and he will give you everything you need us becoming less looks like Jesus
becoming greater when we focus on Jesus and whenever we put him first everything else falls
into place we will naturally become less whenever we make Jesus greater in our life
the level of humility that Jesus had will come more naturally as we begin to exalt Jesus as the
only one worthy of worship in our life if you'd stand with me this morning as I get ready to close
joining us at East Shore Jen is coming to close up there if you're online with us this morning
find someplace quiet this morning so you can pray that you can spend time with the Lord
so you can pray that you can spend time with the Lord
in a moment I'm going to pray
but I'm going to challenge you this morning for those of you who are in the house
who believe who know Jesus and you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior
I'm going to challenge you this morning is Jesus first in your life are you actually living like
Jesus first and then everything else are you living like Jesus is Lord of your life
or maybe you're here this morning and you don't know this Jesus I'm talking about
you don't know what he's done for you and you want to put him first this morning you want to say
I want to take my hands off my life I cannot do this anymore on my own I need some help
well church Jesus is here for you this morning and I want to give you the opportunity to do that as
well if you bow your heads with me as I pray heavenly father
Lord I thank you for sending Jesus God this message is convicting as I'll get out
God that you would help us to every day realize to wake up and put Jesus first that we would
recognize that we need to put Jesus first and that we need to become less that Jesus has to become
greater and we have to become less God I pray for those in the house and under the sound of my voice
that may not know you Lord God I pray that you would wrap them in your loving arms this morning
that they would help that you would help them to know that all they have to do
is to believe in you to believe in you Jesus that you died on the cross for their sins
to turn from their sins to repent and to accept you
and that they would confess you as Lord first place in their life
God I pray blessings over all those in the house this morning God that you would be with us in
this place God that you would help us to remember what you've done for us going into memorial day
remember what Jesus has done for us we got to thank you for your word that it is sharper than
any two-edged sword that it cuts between joint and marrow and heart and soul Lord that you would just
move in a mighty way here in our hearts and lives this morning God we pray these things in your
precious and holy name amen and amen church God bless you if you need prayer for anything specific
the prayer team is going to make their way to the back they would love to pray with you I would love
to pray with you but God bless you see you next Sunday thank you for tuning in to this message
from Lifehouse church we pray that you were impacted powerfully by this message if you have
been personally affected by our ministry and you would like to partner with us as we love God love
people every day visit our website at www.lifehousecog.com