John 3:22-36

Good morning, it's delightful to be with you all. I'm happy to see you're on plastic, uncomfortable chairs.

! It'll help keep you alert this morning.

I want to encourage you to turn with me back to the passage we read, where if you remember, a scene was set in verses 22 to 26,

and then a commitment about Jesus was explained in verses 27 to 30, and then the reason for that commitment was found in the final paragraph of the half chapter that we read.

Well, after a nighttime meeting with a man named Nicodemus, Jesus left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside, ending up in the same neighborhood as his cousin John.

And John needed a steady supply of water for what he was doing, for the immense crowds that came to him for baptism, whether he was baptizing by immersion or sprinkling or pouring.

Anon near Salem was a place with lots of springs, lots of water, and served well enough for the task.

And what we see in verses 22 to 24 is Jesus confirming and continuing John's groundbreaking work for the kingdom of God.

The shift between the ministry of John and that of Jesus, between an old age and a new age, an age of promise, an age of fulfillment, was not a neat line.

It was a kind of wrinkly area of transition, a lot like my shirt this morning, which is why I'm covering that with a jumper.

It wasn't a neat, tidy line.

A Dutch scholar, a Dutch New Testament scholar, mentions that Jesus and the disciples who followed him

did not immediately abandon the pattern of John's preaching of an approaching kingdom, of a baptism of repentance that went with it.

Jesus, when he preached, was bringing clearer teaching.

He was continuing to fulfill Old Testament promises, but it didn't happen all at once.

There were planned transitions.

Older theologians said that Jesus was ushering in his kingdom.

It's a good word, I think.

He was ushering in his kingdom.

When we have ushers at a wedding, bringing people into the sanctuary or the fellowship hall for the wedding,

they don't pull people down the aisle and push them into seats.

They usher them.

They do this with purpose and dignity and care.

They treat people with respect.

Well, that's how Jesus was treating John.

He was doing something new.

He was ushering in his kingdom, but doing it carefully, thoughtfully.

He wasn't in a hurry.

He encouraged John's message.

He encouraged John's ministry, even as he was adding to John's message.

Now, while Jesus' introduction of his teaching, while Jesus' ushering in of his kingdom was gradual,

but it was also noticeable.

People could see the difference between what John did and what Jesus did.

People spotted a real change between these two ministries, between the forerunner and the one himself, Jesus himself.

While John's, let me put it this way.

There was enough of a difference between the two that there ended up being arguments between their followers.

And that's what we overhear in verses 25 and 26.

It's hard to know exactly what happened.

Did the man who met John's disciples get baptized by Jesus' disciples?

Did this fellow mentioned here get in a discussion about the meaning of John's baptism or Jesus' baptism or different Jewish baptisms of the time,

both the ones found in the Old Testament and ones that people had made up since?

I don't really know.

But whatever went on at first, a conflict about a symbol became a conflict about the substance.

An argument about baptism ended up being an argument about Jesus himself.

John's disciples were unhappy.

They were unhappy.

And so they went to their leader to tell him that Jesus was pulling in the crowds.

And listen to the way in which they talked.

First, the Baptist's disciples spoke of John with respect, calling him Rabbi.

But Jesus, they don't even mention by name.

He's just the one to whom John bore witness.

As if John was doing Jesus some kind of a favor.

The way that we talk about people shows what we think about them.

The way they talked about Jesus suggests they might not have thought enough about Jesus yet.

Second, they exaggerate what's happening.

They say, all are going to him.

And we all know why we exaggerate.

We usually exaggerate when we're trying to justify our complaining spirits or something like that.

Or to tell a good story.

But here they're not telling a good story.

The fact is, Jesus had hardly put John out of business.

Or even out of busyness.

Even if Jesus did attract large crowds, there were still lots of people going to John.

John would continue to have so much popularity that King Herod would long to meet him.

Now I want you to see that this conversation is really important.

John's disciples are coming to him at a very important and very interesting moment in time.

His ministry was enjoying success like no other prophetic ministry before him.

Moses, Elijah, Elisha.

In some sense, not a one of them came close to John.

There were prophets who would get visits from people who wanted answers.

There were prophets who taught other prophets.

There were prophets sent to give important messages to the people.

But John is the first prophet who's wildly popular.

I mean, we are told that crowds came to him.

Rich and poor.

Jews and Romans.

Leaders and followers.

From Israel and beyond.

They were all coming to hear John.

John had become a, I don't know, like a kind of movable pilgrimage site.

Like a tourist destination.

If you were writing a travel guide to Jordan, you'd have to add in something about John.

You know, the guy with the funny clothes and the pot of honey and the pile of locusts on a rock or something like that.

John was the thing.

There are entrepreneurial possibilities with John.

Frankly, lots of people were going to him.

Not everybody was going to Jesus.

Remember, John and his disciples had no idea.

No idea at that moment what was about to happen.

They didn't know that he was going to be put in prison.

They didn't know he was going to lose his head.

We are told that as we read the passage.

But they don't know that.

So this is what we call a real ministry temptation.

An RMT.

RMT.

You know, this is a moment when it's really easy to make it all about yourself.

And it's possible to do that.

It's easy to turn a ministry that's supposed to be about Jesus into something that's really about me.

And it would have been so easy for John to do that here.

I mean, can you see that?

Everybody's coming to him.

And then someone begins to pull away the crowds.

And he has his loyal fan club.

He has his team.

And they're saying, we've got to stop this.

Do you see what's happening, John?

So these grievances offered by his friends present a real test of his integrity.

Maybe a bigger test than any of us will ever experience.

Because I doubt any of us will ever be quite that popular.

And to his credit, John saw the problem.

In the way in which his supporters talked and thought.

And he met it head on.

He met it head on.

Verses 22 to 26 tell us all this.

And in doing so, they set the scene.

Now, in response to the disciples' complaint.

John explains his commitment to Jesus by issuing a maxim.

A pithy statement.

By issuing a maxim and then offering a parable.

Those are the two things he does.

John wanted his followers, at the very least,

to recognize that a person cannot receive one thing

unless it's given him from heaven.

With this maxim, he's making a basic point about the providence of God, isn't he?

He's saying something about God.

Jesus was who he was.

And he was a whole lot more than John was.

Because more had been given him from heaven.

John was who he was.

And he was a whole lot less than Jesus was.

Because less had been given him from heaven.

Now, think about what John's saying.

Because I think it has some relevance for all of us.

According to recent sightings,

jealousy is still raising its ugly head.

It's still peering over the parapet in the military.

We see it peeking over the walls of cubicles in the office.

We can even spot it in the kitchen.

We can find it in conversations between close friends.

Jealousy still exists.

Including this kind of professional jealousy.

And when we see it,

we need to give it a good knock about the head with John 3, verse 27.

John 3:27

Because John is explaining to his disciples,

really helpfully,

that we should not be jealous.

In fact, we should not fault people

who are very successful in their callings.

Maybe way more successful than we are.

Now, if that's true in general,

and I think it is,

it's more obviously true

when it comes to Christian service,

Christian ministry,

which is what John's talking about here.

Surely we need to see that

if God gives someone real gifts,

good content,

effective ministry,

maybe an unusual acceptance with other people,

then we need to give God glory.

More was given them from heaven

than we have ourselves, perhaps.

And we need to be thankful for what they're doing.

That's the spirit of John the Baptist, isn't it?

Right here in this passage.

Speaking for myself,

we who are sort of small-time pastors

or aspiring preachers,

we just need to thank God.

We need to learn to be thankful

for the leadership and example

or maybe the astonishing preaching ministry

of other people.

Maybe a Philip Riken

or a Dick Lewis

or a Sinclair Ferguson

or an Ian Hamilton

or an Alistair Begg

or a Paul Levy

or whatever,

you know,

celebrity preacher you have in mind.

Pastors don't need to find their security

in being able to critique better preachers

or in pretending that we're their pals.

You know,

and the same goes for artists

and students

and plumbers

and lawyers

and of course

for anyone doing service

in Christ's church.

May God help us

to be big without pride

or small without shame.

May He help us

to remember

that none of us

has anything

unless something is given

to us from heaven.

John encouraged thankfulness

for Jesus

in this maxim

in this little statement.

He then showed

his true loyalty to Jesus

in a kind of parable.

In a kind of parable.

He puts a metaphor to work

in verses 27 to 30

employing the idea

of a bridegroom

and his best friend

in order to show his devotion.

You see,

John knew

that he himself

was not the Christ.

The promised one of Israel.

And he says so.

He says so here.

Now,

let's just stop for a moment

and just think

what a comment that is to make.

I've never had to explain

to people

that I'm not the Savior

of the world.

It just tends not

to come up in conversation.

I don't need

to explain this.

But John did.

I mean,

that's a measure

of popularity,

isn't he?

He had such prominence,

such power,

such authority,

that on more than one occasion

he had to say,

I'm not the Savior.

I'm just the one

being sent before him.

He's like the one

who goes ahead

to get ready

for the meeting.

Like the meeting

we're having this morning.

He's the one

who has to get ready

for the meeting

so that people

won't be distracted,

so that everything

will run smoothly.

Harry likens himself

to the best friend

of the bridegroom

before a wedding

who just wants

things to run well.

He's not trying

to win anyone

over to himself.

He's not trying

to steal the limelight.

He's the best friend

making sure

everything's okay,

waiting at everyone's

disposal,

willing to do anything

to make his friend's day,

his friend's marriage,

a success.

In those days,

the bridegroom's friend

also had a more

specific duty.

And not just

in those days.

I don't know

if you've ever

read The Count of Monte Cristo,

but Alexander Dumas

tells this story well.

Adele sings this

in all of her songs.

There's people

who are sometimes

around a wedding service

or a relationship

who think that

they ought to be

the ones holding hands.

They ought to be

the ones exchanging

the promises.

There are sometimes

bitter or disappointed

people around a wedding.

And in those days,

the job of the best,

one of the jobs

of the best man

was to kind of

fend off people

making last-ditch efforts

on the bride.

I mean,

just to make sure

that disappointed suitors

kept their distance.

John's doing

something like that here.

Whatever the specific task,

the friend of the bridegroom

is happiest when?

He's happiest

when the wedding starts.

He's happiest,

as John says,

when he hears

the voice of the bridegroom.

Oh, thankfully,

he's coming down

the hallway.

My job's almost done.

The marriage

is about to begin.

He rejoices greatly

at the bridegroom's voice,

John says.

His joy is complete.

Now, just stop for a minute

and think about

what that means.

For what would we think,

as Augustine of Hippo

once asked long ago,

of a best man

who kept the bride

from all other men

so that he could

keep her for himself?

What kind of friend

would we count that man

to be

if he tried to capture

the affections

of the bride?

What would we think

in John Calvin's

gritty phrase

of a best man

who made the bride

a prostitute?

I think we could agree

that he wouldn't be

a very,

he wouldn't be a best man.

Not a good man.

Not a best friend either.

And yet,

as the theologian

John Murray explains,

that's exactly

what John's disciples

were tempting

him to do.

Incongruous

or odd as it seems

in the sphere

of social life,

it's exactly

what they were suggesting

in the spiritual

and heavenly sphere.

They wanted

John to keep

his hold

on the people

of Israel.

To win their

affections for himself.

To keep their

attentions on him.

Prophet John

grew up

in the home

of a priest.

He could not

have been ignorant

of passages

and the prophecies

of Isaiah

and Jeremiah

and Hosea

that called Israel

or the believers

within Israel

the bride

of the Messiah.

He could not

have been ignorant

of this idea

that there's

a body,

there's someone

promised to

the Messiah.

But whether he

was thinking

about that here

or not,

surely we need

to see the

importance of

what this last

great prophet

was teaching.

No one

is to stand

between Jesus

and his people.

No one

is to try

and win

the first

affections

of the church

for himself

or herself.

No minister

is to teach

or preach

or counsel

or do anything

with the intention

of winning

the hearts

of God's people

to himself.

Not only are we

not to do this

unintentionally,

we're to intentionally

guard against this

because we know

what our own

hearts are like.

We're to avoid

any attempt

to seek the

admiration

of the Christian

church.

So look for

that kind

of pleasure

ourselves

as Christian

workers,

Christian

preachers,

would be to

make the bride

of Christ

unfaithful.

Do you see

that?

Do you see

how dangerous

it is?

John knew

this.

And he

wasn't

resigned

to being

second place.

He wasn't

sad about

this.

He rejoices,

he says.

He rejoices

to play

second fiddle.

It is

in that

spirit that

you could

issue

the motto

about Jesus

that no

member of the

church and

certainly no

minister of the

church should

ever forget.

You see it in

your Bibles.

He must

increase,

but I must

decrease.

That's the

spirit of a

true friend

and servant

of Jesus.

He must

increase,

I must

decrease.

As John

Aerosmith,

a member of

the Westminster

Assembly,

once put it,

true ministers

set up Christ

in their

ministry.

They are

content

themselves to

stand in

the crowd,

to lift up

Christ upon

their shoulders,

content not to

be seen

themselves,

so Christ

be exalted.

Maybe no one

ever exalted

Christ as much

as John did

at that very

moment with

such a

temptation.

Well, I

think every

Christian

instinctively

admires the

spirit of

John the

Baptist.

We know

he's right,

don't we?

He must

increase,

we must

decrease.

At our

worst moments,

to be fair,

we sometimes

get that

reversed.

We boast

about ourselves,

we talk about

our gifts

instead of

Christ's gifts,

we advertise

what's good

in us.

At our

worst moments,

Jesus decreases

so that we

can increase.

Or at least

we hope that

as Jesus

increases,

we'll increase

along with

him.

I think

that's where

I am.

I wouldn't

possibly want

Jesus to

decrease,

but I'm

hoping as

he increases

that I'm

going to be

right up

there with

him.

That's still

too positive

of a spin

on myself,

honestly.

That's where

we are in

our worst

moments,

our wobbly

moments.

But at our

best moments,

when the work

of the Holy

Spirit's not

being resisted

in our lives,

when we're

thinking straight,

we can come

up with

any number

of reasons

why Jesus

must increase

and we

must decrease.

If you know

yourself,

if I know

myself,

you can think

of all kinds

of reasons

why I could

decrease,

why Jesus

should increase.

Here's the

good news,

if you're

short on sleep

or caffeine

this morning,

you don't

need to do

that hard

thinking yourself,

because John

provides three

reasons for us

right here in

this passage.

So all you

need to do

is read and

listen,

you don't

even need

to think.

In verses

31 to 36,

Scripture offers

us John's

reasons about

Jesus.

Three perfect

reasons why

we too should

agree that

Jesus should

increase and

we should

decrease.

The first

cause for the

increase of

Jesus, in our

estimation, is

his authority.

He's the one

who comes.

So if you like

three-point sermons,

I have three

points.

Here they are.

The first reason

why Jesus should

increase is because

of his authority.

He's the one

who comes from

above.

And so he's

above all.

The fact that

Jesus is above

all is mentioned

twice in verse

31.

And the simple

meaning of this

statement is that

he holds a rule

and authority

above all others.

No one can

approach his

greatness.

We who are

earthly, we who

are from below,

we who are people

of Adam and

belong to this

world, our

thoughts, our

words, we're

limited in so

many ways.

As Calvin puts

it, he speaks

from the throne,

we just speak

from the footstool.

The preachers of

the word do

have a real

authority from

Jesus, but the

point is that

even the commanding

presence and

preaching of

someone like

John pales in

authority between

the ultimate

presence and

authority of the

one who came

from above.

So it's because

of his matchless

authority that he

must increase and

we must decrease.

John lifts up the

authority of Jesus,

he also in

verses 32 to

34 exalts the

testimony of

Jesus.

The one who

came from above

brings with him a

reliable testimony.

He knows things,

he's heard things,

he's seen things.

Much that was

known to Jesus

could never be

shared.

But he bore

witness to what

he's seen and

heard that we

need to know,

that we need to

hear.

The sad irony is

that his teaching

was accredited by

the agency of

heaven and yet no

one receives his

testimony.

All are going to

him, John's

disciples complained.

Ah, but no one

receives his

testimony, John

replies.

They thought too

much was given to

Jesus.

John says no, not

enough.

Never enough.

It wasn't enough

for the crowds to

hear about Jesus.

It's not enough to

hear that testimony.

testimony.

Jesus is only

honored when people

receive that

testimony.

When they accept

the message.

Only when someone

receives that

testimony do they

put their seal to

this statement.

God is true and

true in his son.

And anyone who

says anything less

is really calling

God a liar.

In sending us his

son, God sends us

the one who is

truth.

And to reject the

person of his son

is to reject the

truth of God too.

Jesus spoke the

words of God

because he was

from heaven.

He also did this

as verse 34

explains.

Because along with

the son, the

father is sending

his spirit.

So Jesus, he gave

the Holy Spirit

without measure.

Jesus is, among

other things, the

heaven sent, spirit

filled truth of

God.

Read the first

part of all the

four gospels and

you'll hear that

testimony.

Read the last

part of each

gospel and you'll

see that testimony.

Because he spoke

more in his death

and in the

resurrection than

he did in all

of his sermons.

It's because of

this unrivaled

testimony that he

must increase and

we must decrease.

The final reason

that the gospel

gives for the

elevation of Jesus

is the gift of

Jesus.

And once again,

to understand why

Jesus must increase

we're directed

heavenward.

You see, it's

not only true that

the gift of Jesus

is a gift from

the father and

sourced in the

bottomless love of

the father, it's

also true that the

father has given a

gift to the son.

The father has given

a gift to the son.

A gift in measure

for his love for

his son.

You see, that's what

verse 35 means.

The disciples of

John looked at

Jesus and worried

that all are going

to him.

The father looks at

Jesus and gives

everything he wants

to him.

Sometimes Christians

wonder at the love

of the son.

John is telling us

we can only begin

to understand this

love when we see

the love of the

father.

father.

It's that love

that the son is

passing on and

which by his Holy

Spirit he continues

to pass on today.

The gift of Jesus

to us began as a

gift of us to

Jesus.

We'll see.

We'll spend an

eternity trying to

figure out how we

could be a gift to

anyone.

Knowing who we are,

let alone a gift from

the father to the

son.

But John's words

end on a different

note.

You can see that

the very end of

the chapter.

He reminds us

that God's gift

of love to us

comes in the form

of life for us.

Whoever believes

in the son has

eternal life.

Life with this

spirit.

With this son.

With this father.

Life that discovers

this kind of love.

Life that does not

meet an ultimate

tragic end.

Life that

doesn't diminish in

its glory.

You see what Jesus

is saying here.

This is not a life

for those who have

conquered their

jealousies.

This is not a life

for people who

aren't troubled

with rivalries.

This is not a life

for those who

haven't started or

continued a foolish

argument like John's

disciples were doing

here.

This is not a life

for those who have

managed to put all

their complaining

behind them.

This is a life

for all who

believe in the

son.

That's what John

says here.

The truth before us

if I can quote an

Anglican bishop at a

Presbyterian church

is one of the most

glorious privileges

of the gospel.

There are no works

to be done.

No conditions to be

fulfilled.

No price to be

paid.

No wearing years

of probation to be

passed.

Christ before a

sinner can be

accepted with God.

Let him only

believe on Christ

and he is at once

forgiven.

It is because of

this priceless gift

that he must

increase and we

must decrease.

It's this gospel

that some of us

are commissioned

to preach.

All of us are

called to believe.

But it's the

happy privilege

isn't it?

It's the happy

privilege of every

Christian.

To be able to say

to our friends

and our family

and our neighbors

if you trust in

Jesus you will

have life.

And you're not

just offering a

hope of life.

You're not just

talking about a

later life or an

afterlife although

we'll have that

too.

You're offering

life itself

because whoever

believes the son

we're told has

eternal life.

For those who

believe in the son

as jarring

as brutal

as death is

for those who

are left behind.

It is for the

one who dies

a life that

continues into

life from one

moment to the

next.

But if given

the opportunity

for such a

task of telling

people about this

life I guess

we'll also want

to note the

opposite case.

God is the

love for the

son.

And John

mentions that

too.

Whoever does

not believe the

son does not

see life.

You see so

great is the

father's love for

the son that

to reject the

son to ignore

his testimony

has very serious

consequences too.

when it comes to

Jesus to refuse

him is to

offend our

God.

And no doubt

it's because John

had begun to

understand just

how much people

needed Jesus.

That he quieted

his disciples.

That he issued

his maxim.

That he offered

his parable.

It's no doubt

because he saw

Jesus' matchless

authority,

his unrivaled

testimony,

and the priceless

gift that he could

say, I must

increase.

I must decrease.

He must increase.

The fact is, as

verse 36 says in

his closing words,

we need salvation.

We are sinners.

Without Christ,

the wrath of God

is already upon

us.

Without Christ,

it will remain

on us.

There's no hope

in trying to

avoid the wrath

of God.

It's already

there.

It will be

revealed in the

last day.

Psalm 75

tells us it's

God who

executes

judgment.

Putting down

one, lifting

up another.

We just need

to look around

us.

We're part of

a broken

world, a

fallen race.

We're already

down.

There's only one

way up.

God has provided

that way from

the one who

came from

above.

The one who

set aside

his full

authority

and bore

with

indignity.

He sent

his son

who gave

his testimony

and watched

it rejected.

He sent

his son

giving all

things into

his hands

and then

Christ put

his life

into the

hands of

sinful men

who unwittingly

offered him

as a sacrifice

for sinners

on a cross.

He died.

But of course

no power

could keep

him dead.

For the

father put

in an

abiding

and powerful

life that

no grave

could resist.

He sent

his son

didn't he?

He sent

his son

who declared

that in

some sense

he would

decrease

so we

could increase.

May we

all,

those gathered

here this

morning,

our friends

elsewhere,

believe in

Christ and

find eternal

life and

then may his

name increase

throughout all

the ages.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.