WEBVTT 00:00:00.540 --> 00:00:02.740 I'm going to invite you to John chapter three together. 00:00:03.260 --> 00:00:04.320 John chapter three is where we are. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:12.300 John, if you're new to the faith or you've been walking with Jesus for years, John is just one of those books, no matter 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:17.580 where you are in your Christian faith, beautiful book to be in, especially if you are new to the faith. 00:00:17.580 --> 00:00:24.680 If you're new to the faith and you open up this book, and assume you know nothing about the Lord and just let God's word speak to you, this is one 00:00:24.680 --> 00:00:31.740 of those books that can really just build a foundation for your life, your walk in Jesus, and especially I 00:00:31.740 --> 00:00:34.360 think today's message, where we're going to be. 00:00:34.720 --> 00:00:42.020 Because as we've gone through John together, what we've seen is John has built at the very beginning of this book, he's laid out just this beautiful picture 00:00:42.020 --> 00:00:44.920 of the identity of Jesus, first 18 verses. 00:00:45.860 --> 00:00:48.540 Who Jesus is and why that should matter to you. 00:00:48.740 --> 00:00:54.500 And then it starts to unfold the story of Jesus in verse 19, and that's where Jesus gives the invitation for people to come and follow him. 00:00:54.900 --> 00:00:59.720 And then he gives this miracle of the wedding at Cana, which is a demonstration of his goodness. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:07.040 But then right after the wedding of Cana, Jesus really starts his ministry and interacting with people, and what you find is that Jesus goes to 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.330 the temple on the Passover, which is an incredible day for Jesus to go to the temple. 00:01:10.580 --> 00:01:17.620 I mean, the temple is a foreshadowing of everything Jesus would fulfill and the Passover is like the main holiday that demonstrates everything 00:01:17.620 --> 00:01:19.200 that Jesus will fulfill. 00:01:19.320 --> 00:01:22.840 But what you find during that time is that Jesus doesn't entrust himself to the crowd. 00:01:22.860 --> 00:01:24.090 That's how chapter two ends. 00:01:24.780 --> 00:01:32.060 And the crowd is sort of wrestling with this idea of Jesus, and even the religious leaders, they're wrestling 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:32.720 with Jesus. 00:01:32.740 --> 00:01:36.000 When you get to chapter three, you see Nicodemus representing the Pharisees. 00:01:36.020 --> 00:01:43.240 He comes before Jesus and says, "We really don't know what to do with you, Jesus." And so there's this struggle with them, this pride within 00:01:43.240 --> 00:01:48.060 them that's not wanting to bow down to the beauty of who Christ is in their lives. 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:55.760 And even when you get to where we're going to be in chapter three today, starting in verse 22, you see John the Baptist's own 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:58.300 disciples are now wrestling with Jesus. 00:01:58.940 --> 00:02:06.340 But then we're introduced in this story to John the Baptist and how he embraces 00:02:06.340 --> 00:02:07.020 Christ. 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:15.340 And what we find in the life of John is the strength of humble ministry, or the strength 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:16.700 of humble faith. 00:02:17.920 --> 00:02:24.960 As you see this world in Jesus' day, first century, all of them looking at Christ, and some rejected him, and some still 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:26.140 keeping him at a distance. 00:02:26.880 --> 00:02:33.880 Here in this story, you finally see one individual come to Christ and it really lays out his 00:02:33.880 --> 00:02:34.240 heart. 00:02:36.220 --> 00:02:43.380 It reveals to us what rests on the inside of John and it becomes an example for us 00:02:44.480 --> 00:02:46.480 and how to walk with Jesus in our own lives. 00:02:48.220 --> 00:02:55.380 So in John chapter three, verse 23 is where I'm going to pick up and here what we see in this story, John and Jesus' ministry really continues 00:02:55.380 --> 00:02:57.620 to move forward, it continues to grow. 00:02:57.660 --> 00:03:05.340 And in verse 22, after these things, Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea and 00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:08.700 there he was spending time with them and baptizing them. 00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:17.060 Now, John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:18.390 of water there. 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:23.320 And people were coming and being baptized for John had not yet been thrown into prison. 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:24.760 So it gives you the time period here. 00:03:24.820 --> 00:03:31.220 John's ministry was a pretty short ministry in comparison to most other people that do ministry. 00:03:31.540 --> 00:03:36.320 But he's thrown into prison and he's beheaded shortly after that. 00:03:36.320 --> 00:03:40.630 He probably does ministry for about a year when all that transpires. 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.240 But this is letting us know, before all this happened, this is what took place with John and Jesus' ministry. 00:03:45.700 --> 00:03:47.200 John and Jesus were baptizing. 00:03:48.200 --> 00:03:50.720 And if you remember, John and Jesus were related. 00:03:50.720 --> 00:03:58.160 John came rom a priestly lineage and John started his ministry about six months before Jesus, and he's 00:03:58.160 --> 00:04:00.320 baptizing and he's preaching. 00:04:00.420 --> 00:04:06.360 And John did ministry, we've talked about this a little bit, he was somewhat of a wild man. 00:04:06.380 --> 00:04:11.050 He wore camel's hair and ate bugs and honey and lived out in the middle of the woods. 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:14.080 Most people today would encounter John and think he's crazy. 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:21.620 "This man needs help." But John's out in the country, he's preaching this message, and he draws a crowd out into the wilderness, 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:24.720 out into the desert, and he's baptizing them. 00:04:25.260 --> 00:04:32.420 In fact, it tells us in most of the Gospels, well, not so much in John's ministry does it highlight, but in the other Gospels, it 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:38.430 makes clear to us this message that he's preaching isn't just completely a baptism message. 00:04:38.440 --> 00:04:40.160 It's repentance and baptism. 00:04:40.220 --> 00:04:48.160 In fact, the Gospel of Mark, Mark chapter one, starts off that way in recognizing, "John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:55.320 a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." Even Jesus in Mark chapter one, verses 14 and 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:58.780 15 says the same thing, "Repent and be baptized. 00:04:58.820 --> 00:05:06.000 Repent and be baptized." And so the message of Jesus, the message of John the Baptist, even the message in 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:13.060 scripture, you see in Acts chapter two when Peter preaches the first message is, "Repent and be baptized." That's the message of 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:13.540 scripture. 00:05:13.580 --> 00:05:17.970 And so we think about those terms, what does the Bible want us to understand? 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:25.020 Well, in terms of repentance and baptism, it's really a beautiful picture holistically of what a disciple in Jesus represents. 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:31.360 Repentance is an inward change and baptism is an outward expression. 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:34.560 Repentance inward expression, baptism outward expression. 00:05:34.730 --> 00:05:39.640 Repentance is this turning of your heart and bowing down to a new King rather than yourself. 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:45.170 It's looking to Jesus and recognizing, "Okay, I was living in this world for me or a different kingdom. 00:05:45.180 --> 00:05:46.360 I was pursuing that. 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:47.630 I was making my life about that. 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:48.980 I was worshiping that. 00:05:49.100 --> 00:05:56.480 But now I've been introduced to this new King, and rather than live my life for the former King," who most likely is yourself, 00:05:56.620 --> 00:06:00.540 you turn and you see the goodness of Jesus in saying, "Now I'm trusting in him. 00:06:00.780 --> 00:06:04.860 He will be my King." That was the declaration of Jesus' ministry. 00:06:04.940 --> 00:06:10.760 The King has come, introducing you to his kingdom, giving you a place to join in with him. 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:15.240 He's going to give his life for you so that you can be cleansed of your sin and belong to Christ. 00:06:15.380 --> 00:06:22.540 It's this message of kingdom, and in order to join that kingdom, there is this place of repentance in your heart that you lay your 00:06:22.540 --> 00:06:24.580 life down for this King. 00:06:26.280 --> 00:06:27.760 And baptism becomes that expression. 00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:35.460 It's an outward demonstration of your loyalty to Jesus inwardly through repentance. 00:06:37.580 --> 00:06:39.400 Repentance isn't a process. 00:06:39.440 --> 00:06:40.920 Repentance isn't penance. 00:06:41.440 --> 00:06:48.380 Repentance is the turning of anything else that you could choose to find your identity in and choosing to find yourself in Christ. 00:06:50.140 --> 00:06:51.820 And baptism shows that. 00:06:53.460 --> 00:07:01.860 Baptism is that outward expression to the world to say, "Yes, Jesus is mine and I am his." It's like maybe 00:07:01.860 --> 00:07:03.020 the comparison of a wedding. 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:06.130 Think of what a wedding represents. 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:13.780 It's these two individuals that come together coveting in their heart this expression of a union, and yet 00:07:13.780 --> 00:07:20.840 outwardly wanting the world to understand and know that the way that they have communicated themselves inwardly towards one 00:07:20.840 --> 00:07:23.320 another is to become one in the Lord. 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:31.780 I mean, even today, being married, I carry the symbol of that inward expression 00:07:31.780 --> 00:07:33.240 on my finger. 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:40.460 It's the ring, it's that mark of belonging to someone, and baptism becomes that same 00:07:40.460 --> 00:07:41.160 demonstration. 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:48.300 In fact, at the end of the service today, we're going to partake of communion, and communion is that demonstration outwardly of 00:07:48.300 --> 00:07:50.560 we belong to Jesus. 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:56.260 And so baptism has been that way that God has asked us to express our faith in him outwardly. 00:07:56.340 --> 00:08:03.420 In fact, if you're interested in being baptized on Easter, we're going to do it here at the church, and so that will provide a place for you to 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:03.900 do that. 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:10.960 But when you read the New Testament, there's no example in the New Testament of someone that belongs to Jesus that has not been baptized. 00:08:11.320 --> 00:08:15.240 I know sometimes in our life we might treat it like, "Yeah, it's just this thing that Christians do. 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:22.280 I'm already a believer, why do I need to do that?" Well, it's this outward expression of where your heart belongs and declaring to the 00:08:22.280 --> 00:08:26.400 world that Jesus is yours and you belong to him. 00:08:27.640 --> 00:08:30.020 And that's John's message with his disciples. 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:37.260 They come preaching this, demonstrating the goodness of who Christ is and, for us, baptism represents this pattern. 00:08:37.330 --> 00:08:39.940 You think about what Jesus has done for you. 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:47.140 He's come to this earth and he's given his life completely to the point of death, and then he's lived in 00:08:47.140 --> 00:08:54.340 victory from that in overcoming death in the grave and sin, and now we see him in resurrection, showing and demonstrating to 00:08:54.340 --> 00:08:57.340 us that he holds the authority over all things. 00:08:57.680 --> 00:09:04.800 Jesus is life, Jesus has life, Jesus grants life, and for us, baptism demonstrates that when you get in the water, 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:11.180 you're buried with him in the likeness of his death and you're raised with him in the likeness of his resurrection, that Jesus cleanses us. 00:09:11.560 --> 00:09:18.960 And in this passage, when John talks about this baptism, Jesus' disciples doing this ministry of baptism, 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.560 it says in verse 23, that there is an abundance of water there. 00:09:25.380 --> 00:09:32.860 Meaning, as a church, when we baptize, we like to make sure we really baptize you, we dunk you under the water. 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:36.940 Some of you might we might even hold a little bit longer to make sure we really get you baptized. 00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:44.580 But the point is, it's this complete demonstration as Jesus has given his whole life for us, so we want to give our whole life back to 00:09:45.540 --> 00:09:45.720 him. 00:09:48.980 --> 00:09:57.780 When Jesus and John conduct their ministry, repentance and baptism, but here's what we find, verse 25, 00:09:57.860 --> 00:09:59.940 John's disciples are wrestling with pride. 00:10:01.660 --> 00:10:11.100 It says in verse 25, "Then a matter of dispute developed on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification." The 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:14.120 church people do what good church people do and they make a big deal out of small things. 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:16.280 That's what it says in verse 25. 00:10:16.280 --> 00:10:19.140 It's like Satan gets a victory there, guys. 00:10:19.180 --> 00:10:20.860 We recognize that in our lives. 00:10:20.880 --> 00:10:28.510 We want to major on the majors when it comes to Christianity and give grace to each other on the minors of secondary issues. 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:35.660 But here's what you find in verse 25 is that Satan likes us to make mountains out of molehills and create division within the 00:10:35.660 --> 00:10:36.600 body of Christ. 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:44.300 And here you find in verse 25 it's already starting with some arguments that are taking place over purification, and 00:10:44.300 --> 00:10:48.680 I don't even know that the next verse really explains what exactly that argument is. 00:10:48.760 --> 00:10:56.060 But what we find out in verse 26 is, I think what we find out is that that's really not the depth of their argument, 00:10:56.100 --> 00:11:00.940 that there's something more going on in their hearts and it starts to play out in verse 26. 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:01.710 And so look at this. 00:11:02.180 --> 00:11:09.960 It says, "Then they came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:17.040 he is baptizing, and all the people are coming to him.'" And they're like, "Remember all the hard work that we did for six months 00:11:17.040 --> 00:11:20.880 before Jesus got here, and then you told people Jesus was here? 00:11:21.040 --> 00:11:23.590 Well, now he's cooler than us, and we don't like it. 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:25.580 He's got more followers on Instagram. 00:11:25.780 --> 00:11:27.420 He's got more likes on Facebook. 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:29.380 His ministry looks cooler. 00:11:29.420 --> 00:11:36.580 His church has a fog machine and we don't," that kind of argument that they're having over, "Their church is cooler, and what 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:37.700 are we going to do about this? 00:11:37.760 --> 00:11:39.600 Because we seem to be losing some people. 00:11:39.660 --> 00:11:41.280 He seems to be gaining some people. 00:11:41.420 --> 00:11:49.680 We want to look cooler than him because we were here first." I heard a minister say this once, "When 00:11:49.680 --> 00:11:57.920 churches argue with other churches, it's the equivalent of two ants arguing over who's going to eat the dead elephant." What 00:11:57.920 --> 00:12:02.600 he's saying is there's enough of the elephant that you really don't have to fight. 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:07.540 And when I think about this valley, I recognize churches do get jealous over each other. 00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:18.040 I mean, in fact, when I think about ABC in this circumstance, we probably could relate pretty well to John, guys, because we built the first church 00:12:18.040 --> 00:12:18.540 in this city. 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:22.760 I mean, in some ways we could say we're first church building in this city. 00:12:23.900 --> 00:12:25.320 We were here first. 00:12:28.140 --> 00:12:28.820 But that's not our attitude. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:32.930 That's not who God called us to be. 00:12:34.220 --> 00:12:35.880 God doesn't call us to be a church down the road. 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:39.900 God calls us to be who he's gifted us to be. 00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:47.920 And when you think about this valley, there are thousands upon thousands of people that need Jesus, plenty of room for churches to 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:51.040 join in and help us with the mission that God has called us to. 00:12:52.040 --> 00:12:53.180 We don't fight with each other. 00:12:54.660 --> 00:13:01.780 We celebrate the victory over the fact that God would send more people to reach a valley that needs him and 00:13:01.780 --> 00:13:03.760 to put our eyes on what God calls us to. 00:13:05.020 --> 00:13:12.040 But this isn't what you see with the disciples, they're trying to wrestle with really who they should be in light of who 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:12.800 Christ is. 00:13:13.160 --> 00:13:17.320 And this is the part I want to focus on really this morning, is how John responds. 00:13:19.380 --> 00:13:24.420 Because in John, we see the strength of humble ministry, and this is a beautiful passage of scripture. 00:13:25.900 --> 00:13:28.360 John reveals to us the beauty of humble ministry. 00:13:28.380 --> 00:13:35.580 Verse 27, "And John replied, 'A person can receive not even one 00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:38.560 thing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 00:13:40.160 --> 00:13:43.780 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said I am not the Christ. 00:13:44.900 --> 00:13:46.520 But I have been sent ahead of him. 00:13:48.040 --> 00:13:55.220 He who has the bride is the groom, but the friend of the groom who stands and listens to him rejoices greatly because 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:56.360 of the groom's voice. 00:13:57.480 --> 00:14:00.510 So this joy of mine has been made full. 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:08.620 He must increase, but I must decrease.'" That's one of those phrases 00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:16.050 that your eyes just fixate upon, that statement in verse 30, and your heart really looks at that and you find it attractive. 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:23.960 "He must increase, but I must decrease." It's only six words this morning, you're like, "All right, if I get a memory verse in today I want 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:30.880 it to be this one, because this is the shortest one." It's the easiest one to remember, but it's the most memorable out of this whole passage. 00:14:30.880 --> 00:14:34.340 I mean, you read the book of John and just reading through first time that's one of the verses that just sticks with you. 00:14:34.540 --> 00:14:41.720 "He must increase, but I must decrease." That's a beautiful passage, a beautiful place to meditate on. 00:14:41.760 --> 00:14:43.440 But you know what John is saying here? 00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:46.000 He's saying this. 00:14:47.380 --> 00:14:54.300 You ever been to a wedding or have ever been the maid of honor or the best man at a wedding? 00:14:56.460 --> 00:15:00.640 What kind of fool in that position would show up to the wedding and think the purpose of the wedding is about them? 00:15:02.380 --> 00:15:03.140 That's not what John's saying. 00:15:04.780 --> 00:15:10.560 Only a dumb, probably the world's worst, best man would show up to the wedding and try to get the spotlight. 00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:13.200 It's not about him. 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:17.340 It's not about John, but it's about the bride and the groom. 00:15:19.920 --> 00:15:27.620 When I think about this passage and I think about the Church, big C church, maybe not little church, but big C Church, and 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:36.580 my mind starts to reflect here, I want to be honest and say, my heart wants to be very critical here, "But 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:43.580 I know what rests within man," as Jesus said at the end of John 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:50.620 Two, and I get leery of maybe even my own heart here, because when I think about 00:15:50.620 --> 00:15:57.080 big C Church, my mind sometimes wants to start thinking about little C church and just look around and say, "What are you guys doing? 00:15:57.420 --> 00:16:04.940 What are you guys doing in your church?" Because I recognize sometimes in ministry, I feel like there are people that lead ministry that 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:12.260 love the spotlight way too much, and they treat God's people when they gather together as if the point 00:16:12.260 --> 00:16:16.560 is for the church to think they're cool, rather than Jesus. 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:23.900 And what John is saying here is, when you try to court the bride of Christ, you're 00:16:23.900 --> 00:16:25.620 really committing spiritual adultery. 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:31.040 And the point isn't that people think you're great, the point is that people think Jesus is great. 00:16:32.520 --> 00:16:37.980 And the moment we start doing ministry so that people think that we're cool or we're good, we've completely missed the point. 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:45.920 And one day we're going meet Jesus face to face and have to confess before him that this was your bride but we tried to steal her. 00:16:47.680 --> 00:16:54.200 Now, this is morning for us, this morning is not about me, this is not about you, but ultimately it's about him. 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:57.520 How can my heart connect to him? 00:16:57.780 --> 00:17:01.720 How can I look at the people around me and encourage their hearts to connect to him? 00:17:02.060 --> 00:17:09.160 Now, I want you to know, because of that, we really are focused on you because we want the best for you, but we want the best for you not because of you, 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:09.920 but because of him. 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:15.920 He's the one that puts his image in you and puts his identity upon you and gave his life for you. 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:18.930 And so when we make much of him, everyone wins. 00:17:20.819 --> 00:17:27.819 And this is what John is saying to us in this passage and yeah, John's ministry, what we're seeing is now people are 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:31.660 starting to leave from John's ministry and go to Jesus' ministry. 00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:36.260 But just because people are leaving John's ministry, does that mean John's not great? 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:39.560 Does that mean John's doing something wrong? 00:17:40.860 --> 00:17:47.880 No, in fact, in Matthew 11:11, Jesus said about John the Baptist, "That there was no one greater that's ever lived than John the Baptist." 00:17:49.620 --> 00:17:56.680 Just because in these moments people are leaving from this ministry doesn't mean there's anything wrong 00:17:56.680 --> 00:17:57.560 with John. 00:17:58.800 --> 00:18:04.160 But rather, what we find in this passage is what made John great and what makes John great we find in verse 30. 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:05.660 We see it in his heart. 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:12.700 "He must increase, but I must decrease." And so what we've seen in the Book of John so far as we've 00:18:12.700 --> 00:18:19.920 been introduced to different characters is people have wrestled with pride as it relates to Jesus, and ultimately what they do is they reject 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:20.320 Jesus. 00:18:20.780 --> 00:18:26.090 Jesus goes to the temple and people look at Jesus with a little bit of a stink eye and they don't want Jesus. 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:33.960 And then Jesus comes before Nicodemus and you see him wrestling with Jesus, but he doesn't embrace Jesus. 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:41.150 And even John's disciples, they're having this tension over Jesus and they're jealous over Jesus and they don't want to see Jesus succeed. 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:42.040 They want to succeed. 00:18:42.040 --> 00:18:43.080 They want it to be about them. 00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:51.960 And then we see John, and John's model is one of humility and 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:52.760 John embraces Jesus. 00:18:55.660 --> 00:19:04.920 This passage becomes so important for us, because I think all of us, in some way, we wrestle with pride, but 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:06.340 we need to learn humility. 00:19:08.020 --> 00:19:15.140 And can I just give you a few reasons about the strength of humble ministry or the strength of humble faith in these passages that we see that just are 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:16.480 so important that John does here? 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:25.040 Number one, I want to say this, humility brings contentment, but pride brings 00:19:25.120 --> 00:19:25.700 entitlement. 00:19:28.340 --> 00:19:28.860 I'm going to say it again. 00:19:29.040 --> 00:19:31.620 Humility brings contentment, but pride brings entitlement. 00:19:31.620 --> 00:19:33.160 Verse 27, look what John says. 00:19:33.180 --> 00:19:35.220 You can only say this when you come from a humble place. 00:19:36.040 --> 00:19:44.680 "A person can't receive one thing unless it is given from heaven." Contentment 00:19:45.820 --> 00:19:53.760 is one of those words that when you think about what you've been given, contentment always finds itself saying, "Thank you, God." 00:19:54.820 --> 00:19:58.260 But entitlement says, "I want more. 00:19:59.060 --> 00:20:00.100 I deserve more. 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:08.280 I need more." But here you see in this passage with John, I can't receive one thing unless it's given from heaven. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:13.800 So it's worth just stopping and asking the questions to wrestle with in our own heart. 00:20:15.080 --> 00:20:16.380 What does God owe you? 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:22.180 What do you think you're entitled to? 00:20:25.560 --> 00:20:29.280 When you read scripture, there's no promise that God even owes you today. 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:33.620 He doesn't even owe you the breath that you just took. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:43.740 When you read even in John chapter three, what you see in this passage is that the only thing that God truly owes us as people is 00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:44.160 judgment. 00:20:45.600 --> 00:20:47.860 I mean, that's what John Three 17:19 says. 00:20:47.860 --> 00:20:49.230 It's what we're going to see here at the end of John. 00:20:49.620 --> 00:20:52.240 The only thing that God owes us is judgment. 00:20:52.260 --> 00:20:54.060 And what we mean by that is, honestly, it's hell. 00:20:55.220 --> 00:21:00.060 The only thing that we're deserving of, apart from Christ, is separation from him, because we've sinned against him. 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.130 That's the only thing that God owes us. 00:21:04.520 --> 00:21:12.320 And so that means that anything that you have is a gift from God, This day that you've received is an act 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:13.340 of his grace. 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:21.540 The way that you got here, the words that you're able to speak, it's only an act of his grace because apart from the grace 00:21:21.540 --> 00:21:23.600 of God, the only thing that God owes us is judgment. 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:30.600 Everything, as John says then in this passage, is a gift come down from heaven. 00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:35.200 And we may say, "Well, I've worked hard for the things that I've received," and that could be true. 00:21:35.280 --> 00:21:41.760 Maybe you just didn't wake up one day and here you are in life and you have the silver spoon in your mouth or in your hand. 00:21:46.120 --> 00:21:49.340 But even those things are a gift from God. 00:21:49.580 --> 00:21:56.640 The ability to have today, the fact that you could even possess anything, God didn't have to let any of that 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:57.940 pass through your hands. 00:21:58.840 --> 00:22:00.560 Humility brings contentment. 00:22:00.840 --> 00:22:03.480 In fact, maybe we can ask it like this with John's people. 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:06.900 John's men, they want more. 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:08.060 "Our ministry is shrinking. 00:22:08.060 --> 00:22:08.620 Look at this guy. 00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:09.360 He's more popular than us. 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:15.060 We need, we need, we need." But maybe it's worth asking the question, when is enough, enough? 00:22:18.760 --> 00:22:21.980 How much is it going to take before you find yourself really content? 00:22:24.280 --> 00:22:26.020 How much praise is enough? 00:22:26.100 --> 00:22:28.820 How big of a crowd is enough? 00:22:28.820 --> 00:22:30.620 How much influence do you need? 00:22:30.860 --> 00:22:32.660 How much money do you have to have? 00:22:32.860 --> 00:22:34.780 How big does your house really need to be? 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:36.560 How many cars do you have to own? 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:38.120 When is enough, enough? 00:22:40.100 --> 00:22:42.860 It's funny when you find yourself, you set that goal. 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:48.760 You're like, "Well, when I get to this place, that'll be enough." And you finally get to that spot and then you look beyond, and you're like, "Well, it was enough. 00:22:48.760 --> 00:22:55.800 But now that I'm here, it's not anymore." Can I tell you, if 00:22:55.800 --> 00:23:02.860 you struggle with finding enough at the things that you own, you don't really own, they 00:23:02.860 --> 00:23:03.380 own you. 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:08.860 Humility brings contentment. 00:23:10.760 --> 00:23:12.400 Pride brings entitlement. 00:23:13.460 --> 00:23:18.300 Two, humility uses opportunity, pride looks for another. 00:23:18.320 --> 00:23:21.060 Verse 28 shows us this. 00:23:21.060 --> 00:23:28.480 It says, "You yourselves are my witness that is that I said I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him." John 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:32.980 is saying, "Look, I don't want to take a spot that I'm not made for. 00:23:35.260 --> 00:23:35.900 And that's not me. 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:37.220 That's not who God made me to be. 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:38.520 I don't want to lust for that. 00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:40.040 I don't want to long for that. 00:23:40.040 --> 00:23:47.200 I want to be who God made me to be." Humility in that platform uses the opportunity and pride 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:48.480 looks for another. 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:49.520 It works like this. 00:23:50.120 --> 00:23:58.000 There are some people in life so never satisfied with the things that they have that they think in order to do what God's called 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:01.340 them to do in this world that they need something else in order to be able to do that. 00:24:04.170 --> 00:24:11.440 But people that walk in humility like John here, they just look at what God's given and they just make the most of the opportunity, because 00:24:11.580 --> 00:24:12.660 God knows right where they are. 00:24:14.260 --> 00:24:17.590 You don't need more to do what Jesus has called you to do. 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:23.240 Jesus has made you the way that he desires to make you in order to do what he's called you to do in this world. 00:24:23.540 --> 00:24:26.670 So where you are right now, that's where God desires for you to minister. 00:24:28.540 --> 00:24:29.580 And that's what John's saying. 00:24:29.620 --> 00:24:36.680 "I'm not going to try to put on a hat God didn't make me for." In fact, that's a great way to stress yourself out for no reason, always 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:38.370 trying to live up to some other expectation. 00:24:40.300 --> 00:24:42.020 That's not who God made you to be. 00:24:42.860 --> 00:24:49.920 I love this quote, it says, I hope I don't butcher it here but, "You may not do great things, but you can 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:54.800 do small things with great love." And that makes all the difference, doesn't it? 00:24:56.680 --> 00:24:59.540 Don't long and lust for things that you may not even be ready for. 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:07.320 If you just be faithful to God where you are in the small things, God will increase your ability to do more in great things. 00:25:08.900 --> 00:25:10.860 But just be faithful to where you are. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:16.740 Number three, humility produces joy and pride creates jealousy. 00:25:16.760 --> 00:25:21.560 Verse 29, it says at the end of verse 29, "He rejoices greatly because of the groom's voice. 00:25:22.380 --> 00:25:29.420 The joy of mine has been made full." Could you imagine this, you're in a company and at the 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:37.030 end of the year, the company is smaller than when you began at the beginning of the year, and yet even if the company got smaller you still rejoice? 00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:40.200 Why in the world could that be? 00:25:40.500 --> 00:25:42.680 I mean, you look at it, that's what John's ministry's saying here. 00:25:43.340 --> 00:25:50.420 They're doing all this great ministry out in the wilderness and then all of a sudden the crowd starts to shrink and they start to wrestle with jealousy, and yet John is 00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:50.920 rejoicing. 00:25:51.320 --> 00:25:52.640 How in the world is John rejoicing? 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:56.170 It's because John understands the point of his ministry isn't about the size of the ministry. 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:01.380 It's about glorifying God with what God's been given him. 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:11.000 And so John rejoices not because he's not meeting this expectation of growth, because he's meeting the expectation 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:12.100 of honoring his King. 00:26:14.420 --> 00:26:20.900 It's interesting when you think about this, scripture tells us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. 00:26:21.580 --> 00:26:28.320 But I tend to find jealous people are the ones that weep when others rejoice and rejoice when others weep. 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:36.240 Because they want what others have, and so when they see someone fall, they're happy because now there's their opportunity. 00:26:36.600 --> 00:26:39.020 But they see someone succeed, they weep because they wanted it. 00:26:41.600 --> 00:26:47.240 Joyful people rejoice when others rejoice and even weep when others weep. 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:49.960 Humble people celebrate the success of others. 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:52.700 Jealous people despise the success of others. 00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:59.460 Believers rejoice when your brothers and sisters in Christ succeed because when one succeeds we all succeed. 00:27:04.280 --> 00:27:06.440 Humility produces joy and pride creates jealousy. 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:12.920 And I'll say this, humility builds up, pride tears down. 00:27:13.040 --> 00:27:21.700 That's what you see in verse 30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:25.760 Could you imagine how this story would have went if John took the debate of his disciples? 00:27:26.780 --> 00:27:33.020 They come wrestling with pride, you would never get this verse, that's for sure, but they come wrestling with pride and they're like, "John, did you know this? 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:36.200 Did you know more people are going to Jesus than you now? 00:27:36.760 --> 00:27:40.840 Did you know that?" If John had given into that, what would have happened? 00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:49.900 Interesting when you examine relationships and what causes struggle. 00:27:51.460 --> 00:27:58.740 You ever notice, it's not two humble people that tend to fight, but it's pride that creates that tension 00:27:58.740 --> 00:27:59.240 within us? 00:28:01.300 --> 00:28:06.400 You want to lock horns with someone or you want to predict what two people are going to end up locking horns, it's two prideful people. 00:28:09.560 --> 00:28:11.160 But John and Jesus don't go there. 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:11.440 Why? 00:28:13.080 --> 00:28:14.160 Because they walk in humility. 00:28:16.020 --> 00:28:16.990 They walk in humility. 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:25.980 You think you want your relationships in life to improve, there's an example even the demeanor in 00:28:25.980 --> 00:28:32.120 which John carries here that we could carry with one, relationship problems start in pride. 00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:36.040 One yells at another, and the other's pride gets hurt. 00:28:36.060 --> 00:28:38.600 They yell back, and before you know, a battle ensues. 00:28:41.260 --> 00:28:49.020 Perhaps that's why in Ephesians 5:21 when Paul starts talking about the marital relationship, he 00:28:49.020 --> 00:28:56.120 says, "Submit to one another as we submit to Christ." It's this idea of humility 00:28:56.120 --> 00:29:00.060 that breeds intimacy to enjoy relationship. 00:29:01.140 --> 00:29:03.620 It's when you kill your pride that you find success there. 00:29:05.800 --> 00:29:09.740 Humility builds up, and pride tears down. 00:29:11.100 --> 00:29:16.380 Last I'll say this, humility invites the kingdom and pride denies it. 00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:19.050 You see this with John's disciples. 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:22.220 They're wanting to distance Jesus' ministry and try to compete. 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:32.140 But rather, in John, you see him inviting the ministry of Christ in, wanting to live for 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:33.100 this King and his kingdom. 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:36.180 Humility invites the kingdom, pride denies it. 00:29:36.340 --> 00:29:38.280 The Bible says this twice in the New Testament. 00:29:38.340 --> 00:29:45.640 First Peter 5:5, James 4:6, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the 00:29:45.640 --> 00:29:50.700 humble." John's about seeing the kingdom move forward, not his kingdom. 00:29:52.460 --> 00:29:55.900 John therefore becomes selfless not selfish. 00:29:57.280 --> 00:30:04.620 When you think in terms of what humility is, humility isn't about thinking less of yourself, but 00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:07.480 rather thinking of yourself less. 00:30:09.040 --> 00:30:16.620 "He must increase, and I must decrease." How can I magnify Christ as Christ honors 00:30:16.620 --> 00:30:18.260 our lives by giving himself for us? 00:30:18.520 --> 00:30:20.960 I mean, he walks in this humble way. 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:21.880 It honors us. 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:26.140 And we walk in humility, we honor him. 00:30:28.140 --> 00:30:33.420 I love the thought that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:40.180 If you want to feel connected to the Lord, humility is the language of heaven. 00:30:43.180 --> 00:30:45.480 That's why John's message in the beginning is, "Repent and believe. 00:30:47.100 --> 00:30:54.200 Repent and believe." It's this idea of surrendering your heart to the true King, saying, "Lord, not 00:30:54.200 --> 00:31:01.300 my will, but your will be done." That's how you get to a place where you utter such beautiful words of, "He must 00:31:01.300 --> 00:31:06.540 increase, and I must decrease." There is beauty in this humility. 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:10.580 There is strength in this humility, because it invites you in. 00:31:11.660 --> 00:31:18.080 Your soul just looks at words like this and finds it attractive in your own life. 00:31:18.080 --> 00:31:20.380 So let's say this then in the end, why does this matter? 00:31:20.520 --> 00:31:22.480 Verse 31, why does it matter? 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:27.420 Verse 31, it shows us the glory of God here. 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:29.620 It says, "He who comes from above is above all. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:33.700 The one who is only from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth. 00:31:34.060 --> 00:31:35.980 He who comes from heaven is above all. 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:43.280 What he has seen and heard of this he testifies and no one accepts his testimony." So you see Jesus coming, he's the one 00:31:43.280 --> 00:31:50.280 that has this authority, he's above all, and people aren't accepting his testimony, and then the one who has accepted his testimony has certified that God 00:31:50.280 --> 00:31:51.700 is true. 00:31:51.700 --> 00:31:53.220 Let's go on to verse 34 from there. 00:31:53.980 --> 00:32:00.980 It says, "For he whom God sent speaks the words of God for he does not give the spirit sparingly." In 00:32:00.980 --> 00:32:08.740 verse 35, it shows us the Trinity here, "The father loves the son and has entrusted all things to his hand." 00:32:08.900 --> 00:32:13.300 Verse 36, "The one who believes in the son has eternal life. 00:32:13.300 --> 00:32:20.460 But the one who does not obey the son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." Let me just 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:20.700 say this. 00:32:23.540 --> 00:32:28.030 In John chapter three, John talks about wrath twice. 00:32:29.260 --> 00:32:34.210 He talks about the wrath of God in verse 17 and 19 in John three, and he talks about the wrath of God here. 00:32:35.500 --> 00:32:38.800 And this is the only time the Gospel of John talks about the wrath. 00:32:40.840 --> 00:32:47.380 But I think John chooses to do it early on in this ministry so that we don't lay this thought down. 00:32:49.120 --> 00:32:56.220 Meaning, from the very beginning, he shows us this fork in the road in our lives, where there are those that are opposed to the kingdom of Christ 00:32:56.220 --> 00:32:58.700 and those that surrender to the kingdom of Christ. 00:32:59.540 --> 00:33:03.140 How much more beautiful it is to see the example of John than the others that we've seen? 00:33:04.800 --> 00:33:10.630 But as we think about those examples, he wants us to take it serious, because what we're talking about here is life and death. 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:13.800 We're talking about wrath and grace. 00:33:16.380 --> 00:33:23.440 Where you rest in this is important and the message that you carry with you from here is important, because 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:30.980 in representation of wrath, the juxtaposed position here is eternal life, eternal 00:33:30.980 --> 00:33:31.400 life. 00:33:32.040 --> 00:33:38.860 And I told us last week, this isn't just about when you die you go to heaven, eternal life is about what you experience starting the moment you trust in Jesus. 00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:44.240 Jesus wants you to walk with him right now, to live in that life right now. 00:33:44.280 --> 00:33:47.160 It's not just a quantity of life, it's a quality of life. 00:33:47.580 --> 00:33:54.780 It's saying to you, "Look, every day with Jesus is a better day than without them." And yes, walking with Jesus sometimes may 00:33:54.780 --> 00:33:59.620 not always be easy, because following after Jesus sometimes there's sacrifice involved. 00:33:59.640 --> 00:34:05.620 There's always sacrifice in the laying down of yourself, but sometimes there's the cost that also comes with it in worldly terms. 00:34:07.020 --> 00:34:11.020 But every day with Jesus is better than a day without Jesus. 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:18.360 And so he's bringing him to this place to show us, look, this quality of life isn't something that you just embrace and move on. 00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:23.179 This is a quantity and quality of life that you live with Jesus right now. 00:34:23.239 --> 00:34:24.739 I love the way Charles Spurgeon said it. 00:34:24.780 --> 00:34:29.900 He said, "There are people that call themselves Christians, but there's only really two types of Christians. 00:34:30.659 --> 00:34:37.760 Those that live on mission for God and imposters." And there's some that walk around with the label, but they don't understand the significance 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:41.100 of what God really called you to do in this world. 00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:50.120 And that's what John lays out for us at the end of this chapter, is that God is bringing you 00:34:50.120 --> 00:34:57.220 not just into the quantity, but the quality of what it means to walk with him 00:34:57.220 --> 00:35:00.430 and to live in the beauty of that as we surrender ourselves. 00:35:00.500 --> 00:35:07.920 Nate Saint, and I'll end with this, Nate Saint was a missionary to the Auca Indians and 00:35:08.820 --> 00:35:16.340 he was martyred for his faith, but someone asked him once about why he 00:35:16.340 --> 00:35:18.440 would want to give his life to serve as a missionary. 00:35:18.440 --> 00:35:25.660 And this is what he says, "People who do not know me will ask me, why waste my life on serving 00:35:25.660 --> 00:35:26.410 Jesus? 00:35:27.760 --> 00:35:34.940 They forget they're using their life to serve something too, and when their bubble bursts, they have nothing 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:42.020 of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." That's what the 00:35:42.020 --> 00:35:49.260 story is with John, of just seeing the model of a beautiful relationship with Jesus, 00:35:50.520 --> 00:35:54.920 that our hearts may rest there, and that God may be glorified through us too.