WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:04.169 We're continuing in our study in the book of 00:00:04.169 --> 00:00:09.509 John. And as we start, I want to ask, if you've 00:00:09.509 --> 00:00:12.750 ever seen that movie Finding Nemo, and you're 00:00:12.750 --> 00:00:13.970 saying, okay, what does this have to do with 00:00:13.970 --> 00:00:16.649 the book of John? Well, as soon as I say, mine, 00:00:16.870 --> 00:00:19.730 mine, mine, right? You're thinking of the seagulls 00:00:19.730 --> 00:00:24.170 in Nemo. There's also a comedian, his name's 00:00:24.170 --> 00:00:27.309 Brian Regan, and he has this bit about the Mii 00:00:27.309 --> 00:00:30.489 monster. He talks about going to a dinner party 00:00:30.489 --> 00:00:33.250 and he sits there and there's someone at the 00:00:33.250 --> 00:00:36.210 table who's like, oh, me, mine, mine, you, me, 00:00:36.490 --> 00:00:41.109 you, me. And it's kind of funny, right? Because 00:00:41.109 --> 00:00:46.429 we recognize it. But it also is kind of uncomfortable 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:52.429 because we recognize it in ourselves. See, this 00:00:52.429 --> 00:00:59.380 idea of my life, my calling. my family, my future, 00:00:59.539 --> 00:01:05.379 my church, my story is so common. I fall prey 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:08.900 to it. I say things like this all the time. See, 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:11.959 the danger is that we can even start treating 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:16.000 Jesus like a supporting character in our story. 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:20.959 Just like the seagulls in Finding Nemo are focused 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:25.609 on mine, and just like there's me monsters, which 00:01:25.609 --> 00:01:30.409 I also fall prey to, we can start to twist and 00:01:30.409 --> 00:01:33.650 we can start to change the focus of Jesus' role 00:01:33.650 --> 00:01:37.370 as being a part of our story. Jesus helps me 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:40.670 become fulfilled. Jesus helps me become successful. 00:01:41.010 --> 00:01:44.670 Maybe we dress it up a little bit more in Christianese. 00:01:45.230 --> 00:01:50.250 You know, Jesus has given me grace. And, you 00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:53.209 know, we go, but there's this focus on Jesus. 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:57.980 helping me, giving to me. We can make it sound 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:00.719 spiritual, but if we keep ourselves at the center, 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:06.879 our focus is still on ourselves. But John 3 doesn't 00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:08.740 merely tell us to stop being self -centered, 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:12.560 it shows us who Jesus is. So the deeper question 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:17.360 is not, how does Jesus fit into my story? The 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:20.500 deeper question is, how do I fit into his? That's 00:02:20.500 --> 00:02:23.840 the movement of all of John chapter 3. and that 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.199 fits into the larger movement of the book of 00:02:26.199 --> 00:02:28.919 John that we're going through verse by verse, 00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:30.759 chapter by chapter. We're going to be there all 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:34.080 the way through into December. See, last week 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:36.819 in the first part of John chapter 3, Nicodemus 00:02:36.819 --> 00:02:41.000 comes to Jesus with his own categories. He comes 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.259 with his own understanding, his own framework, 00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:46.520 and Jesus doesn't simply add new information 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:49.460 or kind of change the perspective a little bit. 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:55.139 He actually confronts the entire framework. See, 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:58.099 Nicodemus says, in essence, we know you're a 00:02:58.099 --> 00:03:01.319 teacher who came from God. And Jesus responds, 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.680 truly I tell you, in John 3, 3, unless someone 00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:06.819 is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:09.520 In other words, Nicodemus, you don't need God 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:12.639 to improve your story. You need God to give you 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:17.060 new life altogether. And then immediately after 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:19.759 that conversation, we get to the text we're going 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:22.419 to be in this morning. where John, the author, 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:25.120 brings John the Baptist back into the scene. 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:30.620 And why is that? Well, we're going to see that 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:34.080 John gives a response that Nicodemus wasn't ready 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:39.139 to give yet. And the whole passage turns on one 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:42.719 sentence. It's the big idea for the day. And 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:47.159 that's John chapter 3, verse 30. He must increase, 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:49.919 but I must decrease. So we're going to look at 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:53.659 three from our text in John chapter 3 this morning, 00:03:53.740 --> 00:03:57.800 in verses 22 through 36, and it's going to tie 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:01.719 into that big idea. So it's three R's, receive, 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:07.759 rejoice, and respond. Receive, rejoice, and respond. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:12.800 But before we dive into that, let's pray. Heavenly 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:16.779 Father, we just, we thank you. Lord, you are 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:22.259 so good. Lord, it is not about us, but it is 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.339 about you. As we open your word this morning, 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:28.000 I just pray that you would be at work in all 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:32.660 of our hearts. Lord, draw out from your text 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:36.800 what you have. Lord, it can't mean to us what 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:40.399 it didn't mean to the people of that day, but 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:45.019 Lord, it still applies to us even today. Lord, 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:48.199 help us to glorify and to magnify and make much 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:54.529 of you. Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. So we're 00:04:54.529 --> 00:04:57.149 going to open our Bibles to John chapter 3. If 00:04:57.149 --> 00:05:00.490 you don't have a Bible, on the back table there's 00:05:00.490 --> 00:05:02.230 these little blue books, and they're actually 00:05:02.230 --> 00:05:04.129 the book of John. There's a section in there 00:05:04.129 --> 00:05:06.110 where you can write some notes. I'd encourage 00:05:06.110 --> 00:05:08.449 you, pick one up, take it. It's yours. There's 00:05:08.449 --> 00:05:11.550 some pens in the back. Grab that. Mark up some 00:05:11.550 --> 00:05:13.870 notes. You can also do that in your normal Bible. 00:05:13.910 --> 00:05:16.730 We're going to underline and focus in on certain 00:05:16.730 --> 00:05:21.160 pieces. But we're going to open into John chapter 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:23.240 3 and verse 22, and we're just going to walk 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:29.180 through the text verse by verse. So John chapter 00:05:29.180 --> 00:05:32.040 3 verse 22 says, After this, Jesus and his disciples 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:34.600 went to the Judean countryside where he spent 00:05:34.600 --> 00:05:38.920 time with them and baptized. Guys, I want to 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:41.100 pause. I'm going to be pausing a lot as we go 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:45.680 through this because the text here just... just 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:47.800 kind of struck in different ways than it ever 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:51.779 has for me, even as I got to dive into it this 00:05:51.779 --> 00:05:55.160 week. Don't miss the simplicity of that phrase 00:05:55.160 --> 00:06:02.139 that he spent time with them. Because Jesus is 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:05.579 with his disciples. They're learning from him. 00:06:05.699 --> 00:06:08.240 They're watching him. They're being formed by 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:12.000 him. And the text says this is out in the Judean 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:17.779 countryside. and they're baptizing. Verse 23 00:06:17.779 --> 00:06:22.079 and 24 says, John was also baptizing in Anon 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:24.220 near Salim, because there was plenty of water 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:26.079 there, and people were coming and being baptized, 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:28.759 and since John had not yet been thrown into prison. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:34.379 So Jesus's disciples are baptizing, and John 00:06:34.379 --> 00:06:36.379 the Baptist is still baptizing too, and they're 00:06:36.379 --> 00:06:39.779 actually kind of out in the same area. See, there's 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:44.199 a moment of overlap. The author, John, tells 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:46.980 us that John the Baptist's ministry hasn't stopped 00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:49.899 yet. It mentions that this was before he was 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:52.980 in prison, but Jesus's ministry is beginning 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:56.100 to grow. Back in John chapter 1, we saw where 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:59.120 John the Baptist was looking, and he sees Jesus, 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:03.060 and he says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes 00:07:03.060 --> 00:07:05.800 away the sins of the world. He calls attention. 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:08.970 So John, the gospel writer, is locating this 00:07:08.970 --> 00:07:12.269 before John the Baptist's imprisonment. John's 00:07:12.269 --> 00:07:14.269 still active and he's out there. He's fulfilling 00:07:14.269 --> 00:07:18.029 his calling to make way in the wilderness and 00:07:18.029 --> 00:07:22.449 point towards the coming Messiah. So we get to 00:07:22.449 --> 00:07:28.129 verse 25 and 26. Verse 25 says, Then a dispute 00:07:28.129 --> 00:07:30.870 arose between John's disciples and a Jew about 00:07:30.870 --> 00:07:33.949 purification. So they came to John and told him, 00:07:33.949 --> 00:07:36.720 Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.699 with you across the Jordan is baptizing and everyone 00:07:39.699 --> 00:07:45.079 is going to him. So we don't know exactly what 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:48.060 this dispute about purification was. There's 00:07:48.060 --> 00:07:50.639 a lot of people that like to pontificate on this 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:52.740 and say, well, it could have been this. And in 00:07:52.740 --> 00:07:55.740 Jewish culture, this was what baptism would have 00:07:55.740 --> 00:07:58.279 represented in the purification rites. And those 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:00.899 are not bad things to think about, but the author 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:03.639 doesn't tell us exactly what this dispute is. 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:08.480 But what's interesting, is it's mentioned, but 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:11.040 then the concern quickly moves from a theological 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:14.160 question to something that's a little bit closer 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:17.600 to home for some of John's followers, his disciples. 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:24.660 And they say, you know, John, everyone is going 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:30.079 to Jesus. Their rabbi is losing followers. Admittedly, 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:33.240 the way things worked as followers of John the 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:37.200 Baptist as a rabbi and a teacher, the higher 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:39.779 level disciples, their status was also kind of 00:08:39.779 --> 00:08:42.679 being impacted by this too. But they were actually 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:46.740 probably a little more concerned about this teacher 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:50.399 that they have brought their life to follow and 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:54.320 his ministry declining. But that's only a crisis 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.700 if John is actually supposed to be at the center. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:05.299 That's only a crisis if the disciples are setting 00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:08.379 a piece of what they're doing at the center. 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:12.100 So, see, it's same facts, different center. Because 00:09:12.100 --> 00:09:16.279 if Jesus is the center, people going to Jesus 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:20.759 is absolutely wonderful news. If someone or something 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:22.700 else is at the center, it feels like a loss. 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:27.519 So the issue is not here that John's disciples 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:31.059 reject Jesus. They're troubled because Jesus 00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:33.539 is drawing attention away from John's ministry, 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:36.919 from their ministry. So their question is not 00:09:36.919 --> 00:09:40.059 really like, hey, what's Jesus doing? Which, 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:43.019 however, that got sparked about this conversation 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:45.620 about purification with a Jew or maybe Jews. 00:09:47.019 --> 00:09:51.240 The question... Kind of at the root of this is, 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:53.100 well, you know, what does this mean for us? John, 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:56.039 what does this mean for your ministry? And that 00:09:56.039 --> 00:09:58.740 question always distorts reality when we're at 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:05.019 the center. Even as a local church, in the valley, 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:08.580 sometimes I've heard another pastor call it musical 00:10:08.580 --> 00:10:10.460 sheep when people are kind of bouncing between 00:10:10.460 --> 00:10:13.179 churches. And sometimes pastors are like, well, 00:10:13.259 --> 00:10:15.120 you know, our numbers are down and they're going 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:18.649 to this church. If our focus is our church and 00:10:18.649 --> 00:10:22.870 how we grow, we're taking our eyes off of Jesus. 00:10:23.710 --> 00:10:27.409 The eyes actually need to remain on him. And 00:10:27.409 --> 00:10:28.769 we're going to see a little bit further in the 00:10:28.769 --> 00:10:31.929 text where it's going to talk about how God gives, 00:10:32.049 --> 00:10:36.169 heaven gives. It's not on us. So it's not about 00:10:36.169 --> 00:10:40.389 what we do. It's not about John's ministry. John 00:10:40.389 --> 00:10:43.309 then actually responds to his disciples differently. 00:10:43.429 --> 00:10:48.659 So verse 27. John responded, no one can receive 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:52.100 anything unless it has been given to him from 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:55.940 heaven. See, that sentence actually, it kills 00:10:55.940 --> 00:10:58.580 comparison at the root. John's saying if something 00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:00.500 is given from heaven, we can receive it with 00:11:00.500 --> 00:11:03.080 gratitude and we can hold it with open hands. 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:06.460 John's saying, look, any success here is not 00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:11.500 the doing of John the Baptist the Great. Any 00:11:11.500 --> 00:11:14.960 success. The whole reason we're doing this is 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:18.580 to point the way in the wilderness. So any growth, 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:22.779 any goodness, this is coming from the Lord. See, 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:26.440 calling, influence, fruitfulness, opportunity 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:28.679 are gifts, they're not possessions. See, that 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:31.399 doesn't need to make us passive. It didn't make 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:35.259 John passive. It frees us to be faithful without 00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:38.279 needing to own the outcome. John continued in 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:40.820 the ministry, even though all these people are 00:11:40.820 --> 00:11:44.389 leaving, What's going on with John and going 00:11:44.389 --> 00:11:50.250 and following Jesus? And then in verse 28, John 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:53.110 tells his followers this, you yourselves can 00:11:53.110 --> 00:11:56.570 testify that I said, I am not the Messiah, but 00:11:56.570 --> 00:12:00.370 I have been sent ahead of him. See, back in John 00:12:00.370 --> 00:12:04.289 chapter 1 verse 20, John clearly makes that statement. 00:12:04.350 --> 00:12:08.649 He goes, I am not the Messiah, but I have been 00:12:08.649 --> 00:12:13.960 sent. And both parts of that mattered. This is 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:16.500 what John was saying. I'm not the Messiah, and 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:19.179 in that he's acknowledging his role and humbling 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:23.639 himself. But I have been sent is the reminder 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:27.679 of his role and also a movement away from false 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:31.220 humility. See, humility doesn't mean that you're 00:12:31.220 --> 00:12:34.899 pretending you have no place. Humility is knowing 00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:40.100 your proper place before Jesus. John was not 00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:43.639 Jesus. John the Baptist's job was not to save 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:48.519 anyone or to be the answer for anyone. That's 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:53.659 the same for us, guys. We're not Jesus. I'm not 00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:57.960 Jesus, praise the Lord. Our job is not to save 00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:00.259 anyone or to be the answer for anyone or even 00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:04.940 an answer for anyone. But we have been sent. 00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:08.440 We do have a place. We do have a calling. We 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:11.840 do have work to do. And that's the first response 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:14.759 of this passage. Receive your places given by 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:18.659 God. See, John knew the role God had given him, 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:21.639 but do we trust him with ours? So the first action 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:27.240 there was receive. But we receive with Jesus 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:32.860 as the focus. And then we get to this idea of 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:37.929 rejoice. And this is in John chapter 3, 29 through 00:13:37.929 --> 00:13:40.230 30. If you could pull the mic down a little bit, 00:13:40.250 --> 00:13:45.570 I'm starting to feed back there. Verse 29. He 00:13:45.570 --> 00:13:49.490 who has the bride is the groom. But the groom's 00:13:49.490 --> 00:13:52.169 friend who stands by and listens for him rejoices 00:13:52.169 --> 00:13:55.669 greatly at the groom's voice. So this joy of 00:13:55.669 --> 00:14:00.149 mine is complete. This idea of rejoicing in this 00:14:00.149 --> 00:14:03.379 joy. John here is then telling his followers, 00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:06.220 guys, look, I'm not the groom. I'm the friend 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:12.399 of the groom. Culturally, in that time for a 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:14.879 Jewish wedding, the family was involved, but 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:17.100 the friend of the bridegroom, essentially the 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:20.259 equivalent to like the best man, actually did 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:23.519 quite a bit of the setup, of the planning, of 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:26.080 the coordination. One of his jobs was actually 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:31.700 to bring the bride to the groom. And so the bridegroom 00:14:31.700 --> 00:14:35.940 came, and the groom was there, and the friend 00:14:35.940 --> 00:14:39.740 helped arrange the wedding, but he was never 00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:44.220 the focus. See, the friend of the groom then, 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:47.960 and hopefully still today, isn't standing there 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:50.000 and saying, hey, why am I not the focus of attention 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.759 here? Could you imagine if the groomsman in the 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:55.820 middle of a wedding just kind of, you know, You're 00:14:55.820 --> 00:14:57.700 standing up there. You've got the guy marrying 00:14:57.700 --> 00:14:59.940 them, the couple's there. And all of a sudden, 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:03.720 the friend of the groom, the best man, kind of 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:09.259 comes. Hey, guys! Isn't this great? Many of you 00:15:09.259 --> 00:15:11.220 are smiling. That would probably be one of the 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:14.620 more cringeworthy weddings you've ever been to. 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:16.720 Some of you are like, yeah, I'd be at that wedding. 00:15:16.740 --> 00:15:20.559 It'd be a little bit more interesting. But that 00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:24.309 would be insane. See? The friend of the groom, 00:15:24.370 --> 00:15:27.929 his joy is to see the groom receive the bride. 00:15:28.049 --> 00:15:31.070 That's the picture. And when people go to Jesus, 00:15:31.190 --> 00:15:34.009 that's not a loss. John is using this as a picture 00:15:34.009 --> 00:15:38.429 to his followers to say, guys, I'm not the focus 00:15:38.429 --> 00:15:43.389 here. I actually want to see the bride go to 00:15:43.389 --> 00:15:47.649 the groom. I actually want to see people go to 00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:50.590 Jesus. And when people go to Jesus, that's not 00:15:50.590 --> 00:15:54.029 a loss. That's actually the mission. So if the 00:15:54.029 --> 00:15:56.490 bride belongs to Jesus, grasping for attention 00:15:56.490 --> 00:15:58.789 is not faithfulness. It's kind of like the friend 00:15:58.789 --> 00:16:01.370 of the groom flirting with the bride in the middle 00:16:01.370 --> 00:16:04.909 of the wedding. See, when ministry becomes about 00:16:04.909 --> 00:16:10.970 my name, my influence, my preferences, my recognition, 00:16:11.250 --> 00:16:15.309 a platform control, how I serve, how I volunteer, 00:16:15.429 --> 00:16:19.750 what the church does for me, how I can come and 00:16:19.750 --> 00:16:24.360 be served. We're taking our eyes off Jesus and 00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:26.799 we're actually acting like a competitor. We're 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:29.840 actually acting like that best man who's stepping 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:31.360 out in front and kind of being like, hey guys, 00:16:31.539 --> 00:16:37.919 look at me. And John is painting this picture 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:43.100 to his disciples. But then he says, so this joy 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:45.720 of mine is complete. See, John doesn't want to 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:47.820 decrease with bitterness. He's actually decreasing 00:16:47.820 --> 00:16:51.299 with joy. He says, I'm not losing what was mine. 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:54.299 I'm seeing Jesus receive what belongs to Jesus. 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:59.960 So John's saying it's not this try harder to 00:16:59.960 --> 00:17:02.500 be humble kind of thing. John's not anti -John. 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:06.420 This is not a false humility. He's just pro -Jesus. 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:11.519 He says his joy is not found in being seen. His 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:14.160 joy is found in seeing the bridegroom receive 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:17.200 the bride. And then we get to that big idea, 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:20.480 that hinge in our text, and that's verse 30. 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:26.099 John chapter 3 verse 30 says, he must increase, 00:17:26.380 --> 00:17:32.579 but I must decrease. Not he should increase, 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:35.619 not, oh man, sure would be nice if he increased. 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:40.720 He must increase. That's the way this works, 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:44.059 because the reality is it's his story. I heard 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:46.740 somebody say that John chapter 3 is a must -read 00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:51.970 chapter, because it gives us several musts. In 00:17:51.970 --> 00:17:56.529 John chapter 3, verse 7, Jesus is telling Nicodemus, 00:17:56.549 --> 00:17:59.369 you must be born again. And we have the Savior's 00:17:59.369 --> 00:18:02.970 must in John chapter 3, verse 14, where he says, 00:18:03.029 --> 00:18:05.529 so the Son of Man must be lifted up. Then you 00:18:05.529 --> 00:18:08.450 have the sovereign's must in John chapter 3, 00:18:08.490 --> 00:18:12.569 verse 30, where he says, the text says, he must 00:18:12.569 --> 00:18:16.049 increase. Then we have the servant's must. John 00:18:16.049 --> 00:18:18.710 chapter 3, verse 30, where it's, I must decrease. 00:18:19.109 --> 00:18:22.069 See, verse 30 is this hinge, and it's toward 00:18:22.069 --> 00:18:25.950 the end of John chapter 3. But that picture that 00:18:25.950 --> 00:18:28.849 was painted before with Nicodemus, where it was, 00:18:28.970 --> 00:18:32.890 how does this Jesus fit into the framework that 00:18:32.890 --> 00:18:35.789 I have as the Jewish leader? And he's wondering, 00:18:35.930 --> 00:18:38.650 he's questioning, he's coming, he's asking. And 00:18:38.650 --> 00:18:40.609 Jesus is telling him, look, no, it's actually 00:18:40.609 --> 00:18:43.009 a totally different thing, man. Nicodemus is 00:18:43.009 --> 00:18:49.609 like, what? And then John here is saying, no, 00:18:49.789 --> 00:18:53.269 he must increase and I must decrease. I need 00:18:53.269 --> 00:18:55.869 to get out of the way. That doesn't mean disappearing. 00:18:56.069 --> 00:18:58.369 John's still preaching, still baptizing, still 00:18:58.369 --> 00:19:02.230 serving. See, this idea of decreasing doesn't 00:19:02.230 --> 00:19:07.490 mean passivity. Decreasing is surrender. When 00:19:07.490 --> 00:19:11.930 I say that, I'm not like, I surrender. Decreasing 00:19:11.930 --> 00:19:17.240 is this posture. With our hands open of surrender. 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:21.660 So it's not hands up. It's hands out and raised. 00:19:24.099 --> 00:19:27.039 That means I can be faithful without needing 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:31.519 to be central. See, Christ -centered humility 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:36.259 is thinking of yourself less because you are 00:19:36.259 --> 00:19:40.880 more captivated by Christ. Christ -centered humility 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:43.299 is thinking of yourself less. because you are 00:19:43.299 --> 00:19:45.779 more captivated by Christ. So the more clearly 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:48.660 you see Jesus, the less tightly you have to hold 00:19:48.660 --> 00:19:51.779 to yourself. And so that's where that second 00:19:51.779 --> 00:19:56.519 response, that idea of rejoice, that joy, is 00:19:56.519 --> 00:20:00.380 rejoice that the bride belongs to Jesus. That 00:20:00.380 --> 00:20:03.299 it wasn't John's ministry. This is what he's 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:08.720 telling his followers. Guys, rejoice, because 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:13.160 they're going and following Jesus. And that's 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:16.359 such a wonderful thing. So then we get to this 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:21.660 third action, which is respond. And we respond 00:20:21.660 --> 00:20:25.220 to the Son who comes from heaven. So then in 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:42.130 verse 31, John says, See, Verse 30, that hinge 00:20:42.130 --> 00:20:44.750 verse isn't just floating there by itself. The 00:20:44.750 --> 00:20:48.490 rest of the passage, we actually see why Jesus 00:20:48.490 --> 00:20:53.609 must increase. See, this idea of him being above 00:20:53.609 --> 00:20:57.230 all, Jesus is not just one more religious voice. 00:20:57.950 --> 00:21:01.029 He's not just simply a wise teacher. He's not 00:21:01.029 --> 00:21:03.009 merely a prophet with better insight. There's 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:05.410 a lot of religions that will say, yeah, Jesus 00:21:05.410 --> 00:21:10.109 was, he was a good teacher. He was a prophet. 00:21:10.809 --> 00:21:17.309 He actually had gifts given by God. But then 00:21:17.309 --> 00:21:21.670 that's where they stop. See, John's saying, no, 00:21:21.710 --> 00:21:24.410 he comes from above. And then John's saying, 00:21:24.490 --> 00:21:28.170 we're from earth. And this means that Jesus doesn't 00:21:28.170 --> 00:21:33.690 need to be edited by our understanding. We need 00:21:33.690 --> 00:21:37.410 to be corrected by his. See, this was part of 00:21:37.410 --> 00:21:40.069 Nicodemus' struggle. He came to Jesus with his 00:21:40.069 --> 00:21:43.430 categories already in place. But Jesus didn't 00:21:43.430 --> 00:21:47.150 submit himself to Nicodemus' framework. Nicodemus 00:21:47.150 --> 00:21:50.690 was saying, hey, we know you come from God. Like, 00:21:50.690 --> 00:21:53.670 where do you fit? What's going on here? He confronts 00:21:53.670 --> 00:21:56.950 it. Jesus tells Nicodemus, hey, you need to be 00:21:56.950 --> 00:22:01.230 born again. The framework you have needs to get 00:22:01.230 --> 00:22:06.240 flipped on its head. You need to grow. back to 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:10.720 this idea of a baby and relearn and see the things 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:15.420 that God has. So he confronts it, Jesus does, 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:17.579 and he tells him he must be born again, and he 00:22:17.579 --> 00:22:20.279 does the same with us. See, Jesus doesn't enter 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:23.299 our lives to become one more piece of our preferred 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:29.279 story. Verse 31 says, he comes as the son from 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:36.579 heaven who is above all. And then verse 32, he 00:22:36.579 --> 00:22:39.660 testifies to what he has seen and heard, and 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:43.799 yet no one accepts his testimony. John's not 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:48.019 saying literally nobody believes, but he is lamenting 00:22:48.019 --> 00:22:52.559 how few receive and trust and hear and accept 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:55.960 his testimony compared to who Jesus is and what 00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:59.299 he deserves. Guys, I was thinking it's kind of 00:22:59.299 --> 00:23:03.019 like dip netting in Alaska. You go out sometimes, 00:23:03.949 --> 00:23:06.890 and there's tens of thousands of fish running 00:23:06.890 --> 00:23:10.289 up the river in a day, and you somehow get skunked. 00:23:10.289 --> 00:23:11.829 You come home, you're like, I caught nothing, 00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:14.410 or like, I got two fish on a tide. Even on the 00:23:14.410 --> 00:23:16.809 days where you're like, man, I was slaying it. 00:23:16.890 --> 00:23:23.049 I limited in 30 minutes. Even when that happens, 00:23:23.309 --> 00:23:28.029 it's this idea of your catch is tiny compared 00:23:28.029 --> 00:23:30.910 to the run. So John's not saying literally nobody 00:23:30.910 --> 00:23:34.140 believes, but he's saying, guys, compared to 00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:38.519 what Jesus deserves, he is above all he is from 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:42.539 heaven, it's like no one accepts his testimony. 00:23:43.539 --> 00:23:46.019 And that's the grief here. See, the issue wasn't 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:48.700 lack of truth. The issue is the refusal of so 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:54.299 many to receive it. And then in verse 33, it 00:23:54.299 --> 00:23:57.000 says, the one who has accepted his testimony 00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:00.960 has affirmed that God is true. See, to receive 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:04.640 and accept Jesus' testimony is to affirm that 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:07.059 God is true. That means rejecting Jesus. Guys, 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:10.940 that's not a small thing. It's not merely having 00:24:10.940 --> 00:24:15.240 a different opinion. It's rejecting the one who 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:19.059 speaks what he has seen and heard from heaven. 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:22.779 And then John says in verse 34, for the one whom 00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:27.119 God sent speaks God's words, since he gives the 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:31.430 Spirit without measure. He's saying Jesus speaks 00:24:31.430 --> 00:24:34.470 the words of God because he is sent from God. 00:24:34.529 --> 00:24:37.509 He is God. He's not offering one perspective 00:24:37.509 --> 00:24:41.210 amongst many. And that was a little bit different 00:24:41.210 --> 00:24:45.029 than the day where you would have all these different 00:24:45.029 --> 00:24:46.910 rabbis and they had these different schools of 00:24:46.910 --> 00:24:48.769 thought. And different people would say, oh, 00:24:48.829 --> 00:24:51.250 you're with Hillel, like you see this. And oh, 00:24:51.329 --> 00:24:53.869 you're with Shammai and you think this way. And 00:24:53.869 --> 00:24:57.769 John is saying, guys, he's not offering one perspective 00:24:57.769 --> 00:25:03.650 amongst many. He's sent to speak God's word because 00:25:03.650 --> 00:25:06.589 he gives the Spirit without measure. See, the 00:25:06.589 --> 00:25:11.210 prophets of old had the Spirit for their calling 00:25:11.210 --> 00:25:16.349 in measure. They had a peace. In the text, all 00:25:16.349 --> 00:25:18.170 throughout the Old Testament, we see this idea 00:25:18.170 --> 00:25:21.410 of, and the Spirit came upon them and they prophesied. 00:25:22.089 --> 00:25:26.109 And it wasn't this continuous empowerment by 00:25:26.109 --> 00:25:29.509 the Spirit. Here, John's saying no, but Jesus 00:25:29.509 --> 00:25:31.369 is different because he has the spirit without 00:25:31.369 --> 00:25:33.390 measure. We're not talking about different schools 00:25:33.390 --> 00:25:36.390 of thought. His words are actually from God. 00:25:39.089 --> 00:25:41.630 And then verse 35 says this, the father loves 00:25:41.630 --> 00:25:43.890 the son and has given all things into his hand. 00:25:44.349 --> 00:25:47.849 And that is why Jesus must increase. Not because 00:25:47.849 --> 00:25:50.609 humility is an impressive religious virtue where 00:25:50.609 --> 00:25:52.670 we say, ah, yes, I should decrease and he must 00:25:52.670 --> 00:25:55.710 increase. Not because John's unusually secure. 00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:58.700 With the right religious discipline, you could 00:25:58.700 --> 00:26:02.519 be too. No, that's not. Jesus must increase because 00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:05.720 the Father loves the Son and has given all things 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:10.960 into his hands. And that means all things, including 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:13.900 the parts of life that we're most tempted to 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:18.660 control. Our gifts, our influence, our families, 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:23.400 our money, our future, our health, our fill -in 00:26:23.400 --> 00:26:27.779 -the -blank with what it is for you. But John's 00:26:27.779 --> 00:26:31.440 reminding us everything belongs to him. So the 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:34.039 question's not, will Jesus fit into my life? 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:37.599 The question actually is, will I surrender my 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:44.480 life to him? Then we get to verse 36. And it 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:47.519 says, the one who believes in the Son has eternal 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:50.839 life. But the one who rejects the Son will not 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:54.619 see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on 00:26:54.619 --> 00:27:01.390 him. This verse doesn't let us admire Jesus from 00:27:01.390 --> 00:27:07.230 a distance. Where your story intersects with 00:27:07.230 --> 00:27:12.950 Jesus, response is required. You can't say, I 00:27:12.950 --> 00:27:18.210 want Jesus, but actually reject Jesus. You can't 00:27:18.210 --> 00:27:20.470 receive eternal life while rejecting the Son 00:27:20.470 --> 00:27:23.569 of God who gives it. Eternal life is received, 00:27:23.609 --> 00:27:27.940 it's not achieved. But it is received by believing 00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:30.839 in the Son. Then John gives this warning plainly. 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:33.099 The one who rejects the Son will not see life. 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:36.680 The wrath of God remains on him. And that word 00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:40.900 remains, in the original language, has a little 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:43.559 more weight. It matters because it doesn't say 00:27:43.559 --> 00:27:47.880 wrath begins. It remains continuously. See, apart 00:27:47.880 --> 00:27:50.619 from Christ, we're already under judgment. Not 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:52.940 because God is petty or impulsive, but because 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:56.220 God is just. The focus here really isn't actually 00:27:56.220 --> 00:28:00.180 on the wrath of God. I'm not up here about to 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:05.839 lay out fire and brimstone, because the focus 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:09.079 is actually that apart from Christ, we're already 00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:13.680 under judgment. Even that warning about wrath 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:16.660 is meant to turn our eyes to the Son, because 00:28:16.660 --> 00:28:20.119 He's the only one who can actually give. eternal 00:28:20.119 --> 00:28:25.700 life. God would be unjust to overlook sin. All 00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:30.519 sin must be paid for. But in mercy, God delays 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:35.819 judgment. In grace, God makes the payment himself 00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:40.000 through his son. So yes, God is for you, but 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:42.619 that doesn't mean his story is about you. It's 00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:48.160 not. God is for you by bringing you into the 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:51.710 story of his son and into his story. And that's 00:28:51.710 --> 00:28:57.730 the final response. This idea of believe the 00:28:57.730 --> 00:29:01.930 son and receive. And that's not like, okay, check 00:29:01.930 --> 00:29:06.349 the box. Cool. I now have this action. John chapter 00:29:06.349 --> 00:29:09.349 3 is not this chapter of moralistic cliches that 00:29:09.349 --> 00:29:12.609 we apply to coffee mugs, stickers, and signs 00:29:12.609 --> 00:29:15.190 that we hold up at, for whatever reason, particularly 00:29:15.190 --> 00:29:19.490 like WWE wrestling events of John 3 .16. That's 00:29:19.490 --> 00:29:22.250 not what John chapter 3 is. It doesn't mainly 00:29:22.250 --> 00:29:26.049 say stop being self -centered. The whole chapter, 00:29:26.089 --> 00:29:32.630 with both Nicodemus and with John the Baptist, 00:29:32.829 --> 00:29:38.089 says look at Jesus. Jesus tells Nicodemus you 00:29:38.089 --> 00:29:41.670 must be born again. Your understanding, your 00:29:41.670 --> 00:29:44.529 framework has to be flipped. John is telling 00:29:44.529 --> 00:29:47.250 his disciples, we're like, John, your ministry 00:29:47.250 --> 00:29:49.509 is kind of going over to this Jesus dude. Like, 00:29:49.509 --> 00:29:51.470 I know you like him. I know you're his cousin, 00:29:51.549 --> 00:29:55.769 but come on. And John's like, no, awesome. I 00:29:55.769 --> 00:29:58.650 rejoice because they're going to Jesus. It's 00:29:58.650 --> 00:30:03.369 all about Jesus. He is the son from heaven. He 00:30:03.369 --> 00:30:06.750 is above all. He speaks the words of God. The 00:30:06.750 --> 00:30:09.369 father loves him. All things have been given 00:30:09.369 --> 00:30:11.769 into his hands and eternal life is found in him 00:30:11.769 --> 00:30:17.130 alone. So, I mentioned verse 30 was that hinge. 00:30:19.430 --> 00:30:23.009 I want to ask, what does it look like for him 00:30:23.009 --> 00:30:31.029 to increase and for us to decrease? And I think 00:30:31.029 --> 00:30:35.410 a piece of that means receiving your place as 00:30:35.410 --> 00:30:38.549 given from heaven. It means serving without needing 00:30:38.549 --> 00:30:41.369 ownership. It means rejoicing when Jesus is glorified, 00:30:41.490 --> 00:30:44.279 even when you're not noticed. It means asking 00:30:44.279 --> 00:30:46.500 the hard question, where have I wanted attention 00:30:46.500 --> 00:30:50.720 that belongs to Christ? The final question isn't 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:52.740 simply, will you decrease? The final question 00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:55.940 is, will you believe in the Son? Because we have 00:30:55.940 --> 00:31:02.240 to apply. We have to contextualize. But that's 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:05.779 not the end of this. The actual focus is turning 00:31:05.779 --> 00:31:09.500 our eyes back to Jesus. When we do that, that 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:13.890 changes us. If it doesn't, Are we actually putting 00:31:13.890 --> 00:31:18.069 our gaze and our focus on Jesus? Because when 00:31:18.069 --> 00:31:22.170 you see who he is, this idea of decreasing, it's 00:31:22.170 --> 00:31:26.089 no longer a loss. It's actually joy. Just like 00:31:26.089 --> 00:31:29.910 John was saying, no, I get to be the friend of 00:31:29.910 --> 00:31:31.990 the groom. I get to see the bride come to the 00:31:31.990 --> 00:31:35.890 groom. I rejoice. Guys, we get to see others 00:31:35.890 --> 00:31:39.950 come to Jesus. John's joy was not found in being 00:31:39.950 --> 00:31:43.220 the Christ. But it was found in belonging to 00:31:43.220 --> 00:31:48.460 him, pointing to him, watching others go to him. 00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:52.759 Guys, so radiant. The story belongs to Jesus. 00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:58.680 And by grace, we get to find our place in him. 00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:09.160 He must increase. And we must decrease. For his 00:32:09.160 --> 00:32:16.420 glory. Pray. Lord, you are good. We praise you 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:18.700 because you are worthy of all honor, praise, 00:32:18.759 --> 00:32:24.059 and glory. And Lord, help us to not put ourselves 00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:29.519 in a way in your story that we don't fit. Lord, 00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:33.900 it is all about you. I just pray that you would 00:32:33.900 --> 00:32:36.960 just keep doing a work in our heart this day, 00:32:37.299 --> 00:32:41.809 this week, as we go out. that we would just desire 00:32:41.809 --> 00:32:44.690 to be radiant reflections of Jesus. And Lord, 00:32:44.809 --> 00:32:47.289 if there are any who don't know you as Lord and 00:32:47.289 --> 00:32:52.750 Savior, who are still at the point where they 00:32:52.750 --> 00:32:55.670 say, I don't even understand what that means 00:32:55.670 --> 00:32:59.509 to make Jesus increase, I pray that you would 00:32:59.509 --> 00:33:01.809 be at work in their hearts. Draw them to yourself. 00:33:02.410 --> 00:33:05.289 For those that know you as Lord and as Savior, 00:33:05.410 --> 00:33:07.849 Lord, help us to keep our gaze and our focus 00:33:07.849 --> 00:33:11.970 on you. Lord, I pray that we would not be Christians, 00:33:12.210 --> 00:33:20.710 but that we would be Christ -centered. You are 00:33:20.710 --> 00:33:23.529 good. We submit all things to you. We pray this 00:33:23.529 --> 00:33:24.829 in Jesus' name. Amen.