DRAFT. John on Jesus - He Must Increase I Must Decrease Sign Title: He Must Increase I Must Decrease

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1 John on Jesus - He Must Increase I Must Decrease Sign Title: He Must Increase I Must Decrease July 15, 2012 Good morning Faith family. My name is Kurt. I am one of the pastors. I want to say a special Hello to those connecting through the Internet. It is great to have you studying the Gospel of John with us. For the last three weeks we studied one of the most famous chapters in the Gospel of John, that is John chapter three. This morning we finish the chapter. Before we get started, I want to if any of you have received one of these. It is a pink slip. It is a notice that your job is terminated. Has anyone here lost a job? I have lost a job. It is absolutely no fun. I never received an actual pink slip. Has anybody ever received a literal pink termination notice? I wondered where this term came from so I did a little research on the pink slip. While getting a pink slip is just a metaphor today, according to an article in the New York Times, the term dates back as early as At that time, when you lost your job, a literal pink slip of paper was included with your paycheck. Why was it pink? The reason it was pink is probably because layoff notices were done in triplicate. Who here is old enough to remember using triplicate forms? What was the color of the bottom copy? Pink! 1 This morning, John the Baptist gets a pink slip. He loses his job because somebody with better skills and more popularity moves into town and drives him 1 1

2 out of the baptismal business. Losing your job can be very painful. It can cause us to struggle with our sense of self worth. It can lead to depression. For many men it causes them to question their masculinity when they don t have the ability to provide for their family. This morning, we discover how to face the sunset of our influence with joy. That is something every one of us will face someday. The situation After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison). John 3:22 24 (ESV) Last week Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem talking with Nicodemus. They left Jerusalem and headed North into the Judean countryside. Next week, Jesus will continue heading North through Samaria on his way to his home town in Galilee. Looking at the map we can get an idea of where Jesus is as we look at the previous chapters, this chapter and move into chapter 4 next week in Samaria. What isn t apparent is what the Judean countryside looks like. Most of us picture it like Spirit Lake with green fields. It isn t. It is a dry desolate climate. Their version of a countryside is our version of a desert. 2

3 That also explains why John was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there. That is a city next to the Jordan River. If you have a large baptismal ministry, you need a good water supply. If the area around you looks like a desert, you need to be by a river. As we learned at the beginning of this series, John the Baptist was calling people to repentance of their sins and the result was nationwide revival. Hordes of people were coming from miles around into the wilderness to hear John s preaching. They responded by confessing and repenting of their sins. When they did, John dunked them. Now Jesus and his band of disciples are working their way North and they are moving into John s territory. Jesus and his disciples are in the same business as John the Baptist and his disciples. Their is competition in town. If you remember from the beginning of this series, some of Jesus disciples were former employees of the John the Baptist baptismal ministry team. So Jesus ministry is growing and the guys doing the baptizing for Jesus are your former employees. You can see the tension in this. One thing to note is what it says in verse 24. It says this was before John the Baptist was put into prison. Why would John the Apostle throw that line in? If you look at the other Gospels, they begin with brief references to John the Baptist then they immediately move into Jesus ministry. The other Gospel can leave the impression that when Jesus ministry began, John the Baptist was off the scene. I think John the Apostle is aware of these other Gospels. John probably read them and knows that when he puts in this little scene with John the Baptist ministry and Jesus ministry operating at the same time, it will cause red 3

4 flag in some people s minds. John just wants to diffuse this. He tells us John the Baptist s ministry was still happening when Jesus ministry was getting off the ground. This is information that isn t talked about in any of the other Gospels. This also means that John was probably the last of the Gospels written. It is probably written after A.D. 70 when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. When the temple was destroyed, the Jews were going through a major identity crisis. Losing the temple that took a lifetime to build left them wondering what to do for worship. Incidentally, I think that is why John began in chapter 2 by Jesus clearing the temple and saying Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three day, but the temple he spoke of was his body. I think that was John s way of addressing the destruction of the Jewish temple and telling the Jewish people that the new way of worship is Jesus. He is the temple they are looking for to approach God. When I taught that text a few weeks ago I hadn t put those clues together yet but here is a good time to share them. As the scene opens John the Baptist s ministry is booming. He is doing so many baptisms he has to be where there is a good water supply. Jesus is moving North out of Jerusalem and after performing miracles during this first Passover, he has developed a crowd. In John 4:2 we learn Jesus wasn t doing the baptisms himself but his disciples were. Now a discussion arose between some of John s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him. John 3:25 26 (ESV) 4

5 We don t know the details of this discussion on purification. As we learned in John 2 with the wedding at Cana, the Jews were very interested in purification rituals. They had to wash their hands between courses during a meal. Jesus was throwing everybody for a loop because he just blew off their religious rituals. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. Matthew 11:18 19 (ESV) Apparently from this Jewish man s discussion with John s disciples John s disciples learned that people were flocking to Jesus. In fact, the bottom line on the baptism spread sheet was in the red. Business was in a slide. You can sense the frustration when they say everyone is going to him. John! We are losing market share! It is one thing to encourage Jesus ministry but not at the expense of your ministry! John is going out of business because he is getting eclipsed by the ministry of Jesus. How would you respond? I know I would be tempted to get angry. Maybe John should increase his advertising budget or start offering two for the price of one baptismal coupons in the local newspaper. That is not how he handles is. Lets see what happens. How does John respond to losing market share? Sovereignty - Nothing can happen to me that is outside of God s control. John answered, A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. John 3:27 (ESV) John reminds us that his success as a preacher and teacher was simply a gift from heaven. John s success in preaching and baptizing was not because of his polished communication skills. It was not because he came from the right 5

6 family. It had nothing to do with chance. It was a gift from God. Rather than looking at himself as the source of his success, he looked at God as the source of his success. Just as God graciously give us a period of success, God also has the right to withdraw that. We see this same theme again and again. Paul says the same thing. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV) This is especially true when we see that John s birth was preceded by words from an angel concerning his greatness as a preacher and teacher. It is obvious that his skills were all from God. for he will be great before the Lord... And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. Luke 1:15 17 (ESV) So when John hears people are leaving him and moving to Jesus, rather than getting upset because his market share was diminishing, he understands that God is the one who gave him success and god is the one who could take it all away. When life is spinning out of control sometimes the only thing that can hold us together is remembering that God loves us, that God is fully in control and just as he can give us period of success, he may also take them away but he is still good. If you have lost a job or lost a spouse or lost your health; when you are laying on your bed asking God what to do, remember how much God loves you 6

7 and that life isn t out of his control. That doesn t mean life will be easy, but you can trust God s love for you and that he has a plan that we may not understand until years down the road, if ever; and it is good. The success John the Baptist had was simply a gift from heaven. The decline of John and the rising of Jesus is simply God moving his gift. Humility - My job is pointing people to Jesus, not being their Jesus. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. John 3:28 (ESV) Earlier in the Gospel of John, when we studied John the Baptist, we learned people kept thinking John the Baptist was the Christ. They thought he was the long awaited Messiah of Israel. They wanted John the Baptist to be their savior. Even John the Baptist s disciples wanted him to be their savior. John told them many times the purpose of his life was simply to prepare the way for the Christ. He wasn t the Christ. They heard him say those words many times, but they thought it was false humility of John the Baptist s part. They loved John s popularity because they rode on the coattails of his success. They enjoyed when John was the center of attention. What I love about John is his humility. As the crowds move from John to Jesus, that doesn t destroy John s sense of identity. He understands that what God s think about him is more important than what the crowds think. Popularity is a funny thing. One minute you are loved, the next minute you are hated. This is the way it was with Jesus when he went into Jerusalem at the end of his ministry. He was loved when he came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, less than a week later the same crowds wanted him crucified. 7

8 John tells us, you don t want him as your savior. Jesus is much better. 1. In verse 31, John says he is from earth, Jesus is from heaven. He is much more qualified. 2. In verse 34, John says he has the spirit of God but Jesus has the spirit of God without measure. Jesus is much more qualified. 3. In verse 35, God gave all things into the hands of Jesus. Jesus is in charge of it all. John is just a messenger. 4. In verse 36, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. You can believe in John the Baptist all day long but you are not going to get eternal life out of him. John the Baptist understands his mission was to prepare the way for Jesus and get out of the way. Success for John the Baptist was defined by how faithful he was in accomplishing the mission God gave him, not the size of the crowd. At the end of our life, the same thing will be true. Success will not be defined by the size of our funeral but did we accomplish the mission God gave us for our life? Defining success by completing the mission God gives us is not just a theme we see in this verse. We also see it with Jesus at the end of his life. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. John 17:4 (ESV) We also see if with the Apostle Paul. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24 (ESV) 8

9 The next question we are all asking is, what is the mission God has for my life? I can not tell you. There are some general items God gives all of us to accomplish. What is the general mission God calls us to? 1. Learn to delight in the love of Christ. It is like getting married. We are giving the mission of learning to enjoy our spouse. It is an exciting lifelong mission. God wants to you to enjoy the love of Jesus. Don t deny yourself that pleasure. It would be like getting married without the marital bonuses. That is no fun. 2. Walk faithfully with Christ. God wants us to walk faithfully with him. That is a theme we learned in the book of Hebrews. 3. Tell others about God s love for us through Christ. The great commission in the book of Matthew tells us we are to be about the task of making disciples. God gave us the task of not just writing checks for missions but being about the mission. We are to build relationships for the sake of the Gospel. Did you realize it is God s will for you to be involved with your community? How does God call us to a specific mission? Sometimes God gives people a specific life mission, like he did with John the Baptist, Paul and Jesus. Sometimes God calls people into preaching and teaching. Sometimes God calls people into the mission of taking the good news of Jesus for a foreign country. How does God call us to a specific life mission? 9

10 1. God may call us to a specific mission in an extraordinary way. When God calls people to a specific mission, he may call them in an amazing way, such as through a dream. Sometimes in the Bible he did it through visions. 2. God may call us to a specific mission in an ordinary way. Many times he calls us in the simple way of changing our hearts so there is no other place that we can find peace in our life other than when we are in the spot of the mission God gives us for our life. 3. God may call us to a specific mission through tragedy. Another way God calls us to a mission is through unexpected physical or financial tragedy. Sometimes a spouse dies unexpectedly. Sometimes we lose a job unannounced. Instantly we have a new mission thrust upon us. That mission is to display to the world what it means to have Christ and the comfort of God s love in times of difficulty. How does tragedy reveal Christ? How many of you like donuts? I brought a box of donuts. Some of these are creme filled. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is on the inside. There is one way to tell for sure. Squeeze them. When you put the squeeze on the outside, you always find out what is on the inside. That is the same way with us. Many times the mission God calls us to is to live under the squeeze. It is when we are under pressure that others see what it means to rely on Jesus, what it means to receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit, what it means to live with hope in the midst of tragedy. When difficult ties hit our life, understand that one of the reason his is allowing you to be crushed is so others can see him. It is so others can smell the fragrance of Jesus. 10

11 Joy - Joy is found when my life makes Jesus fame increase and my fame decrease. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:29 30 (ESV) In this culture, the friend of the bridegroom is what we would call the best man. The best man s job was to insure the success of the groom s wedding day. He tried to make sure everything was a success for the groom. He even guarded the wedding chamber to make sure another guy didn t slip in under the cover of darkness on the wedding night. The best man s job was not to be the center of attention. His job was to make sure the bride and groom were the center of attention. The more focus that went to the bride and groom, the happier the best man was because it meant he did his job successfully. John the Baptist tells people that he is not upset that people are going to Jesus rather than himself. Instead, he is filled with joy because it means he did his job well. In fact, the less people are talking about John the Baptist and the more people are talking about Jesus, the happier John the Baptist is. Joy is found when we make the name of Jesus more famous rather than our own. That is joy. Let our life increasing Jesus name, not our own. It is easy to think joy is found when we make our name more famous. If we are a starting quarterback or a famous athlete in the local high school, we think we will find joy in the fame of our name. Some of us think there is joy in the fame of our name in business. That is a temporary hollow joy. Real joy is found when more glory goes to Jesus than goes to us. 11

12 Application - What can I do to let Jesus fame increase and my fame decrease? 1. Talk about Jesus instead of ourselves. A basic axiom of life is what we talk about is what we think about. When we are in a social situation, it is easy to talk about our summer vacation and our family. There is nothing wrong with that, but a good challenged for us is to segue into talking about Jesus. Talking about what we read in the Bible that God is teaching us. We can talk about what we learned at church. Segue into Jesus. Tell your there will be more joy in my life when people leave this conversation thinking more about Jesus than they do about me. 2. Rely on Christ in the crisis. Remember that when we hit difficulties, that is God s way of giving us the mission of showing the world what it looks like to be sustained by Christ in the midst of crisis. Our mission is to show the world there is still hope. Those apart from Christ fall apart when life gets tough, those who know God loves them and fall into the arms of Jesus because they know has a loving plan behind it an that plan is to bring glory to God s name in the midst of the tragedy. During this series, we are sharing Christ stories. These are stories of people in Faith Church and the difference Christ makes in their life. Here is Micale Conway. 12

13 Prayer Jesus, forgive us for buying into pluralism and not talking about you with our friends and neighbors. Forgive us for the times we are passionless pathetic worshipers because we lost sight of our sinfulness and the grace of Christ. Help us to just simply tell people how much you love them. Help us also be believe the truth of the Bible about the depth of our sinfulness and what we deserve. Amen. 13