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“Kingdom Centered Thinking" • 6.2.19
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
Text
• John 3:22-24 : "After
these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He
remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there
was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown
into prison." :
The Lord is with His disciples near the Jordan river.
- Chapter 3 began with a
private meeting and ends with a public baptism. Jesus taught the teacher of
Israel and then received the people of Israel.
- They are baptizing new followers south
of where John was baptizing at the same time. John tells us that this occurred
prior to John's imprisonment. Why was John going to be thrown in prison?
- John doesn't tell us, but we
learn from the other gospels, specifically from Matthew 14, Mark 6
and Luke 3, that John confronted Herod Antipas about his illicit affair
with his sister-in-law!
- That interaction would not only
land the baptist in prison, but it would eventually be the cause of his
untimely death! Herod kept John around because he liked him, but Herodias was
not a fan.
- You can read the end of that
story in Matthew 14:6-10. His last free months were spent carrying out
his mission, very near to where Jesus was working. Verse 25.
• John 3:25,26 : "Then
there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about
purification." : Right
in the middle of this time of ministry, the Jews entered into a debate with John's
disciples about ceremonial washing!
- "Dispute" relates to a
searching investigation, a questioning over a controversy.
- Religious people just drive me
crazy! John the Baptist has just a few months left to baptize and teach his
disciples. There are people who have come to repent of their sins, to get right
with God.
- And what do the religious people
want to talk about? The approved way to wash your hands!
- Mark 7:3 tells us that the
Pharisees wouldn't consider eating without washing their hands in the
prescribed way. That was just the beginning of their neurotic, self-imposed
legalism.
- John's disciples are stuck
talking with them about this external, religious nonsense, while John was
welcoming heart felt repentance from people that the religious leaders ignored!
- Religion always wants you to
clean up before coming to God. Jesus calls you to come to Him and He'll do the
cleaning from the inside, out!
- The religious Jews were a bit
more concerned with washing the outer parts of a man! Jesus will thoroughly
condemn that attitude in Matthew 23.
• Matthew 23:25-28 : "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they
are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish,
that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs
which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s
bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you
are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." : It's not likely that John's disciples were any more gracious,
though, the language does seem to indicate repeated verbal
volleys.
- You could almost see John
baptizing his final person and walking back over to see what they were grilling
his disciples about. That's when they turned their attention to him.
- At first, it seems to be unclear
who is talking with John. Some believe this to be the disciples of John who
have come to realize that their ministry has suffered since Jesus came to town.
- The content however, indicates
that these were the Jews who were addressing John, looking to discourage or
mock his efforts with their report. Listen to their not-so subtle dig. Verse 26.
• John 3:26 : "And they
came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to
whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!'" : It's hard to imagine the Jews looking
at John as a "Rabbi." They aren't using this term to give respect,
but to add insult to injury.
- Notice that they also refuse to
recognize John's witness. "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the
Jordan." As a teacher, John had informed them that this one was THE ONE!
- These Jews can't even bring
themselves to name Him, much less acknowledge John's explicit teaching, his
solem testimony about Jesus being the Lamb of God!
- As natural human leaders, their
thought was that John's fame would continue unabated. Men believe that they
must attain to fame, hold onto it, and increase it with age.
- In a short time however, in their
eyes, the man that John put over was growing well beyond him! They are saying
to him, "John, he's doing what you are doing and doing it more
successfully!"
- In their eyes, John gave Jesus
"His start!" He vouched for Jesus publically and now Jesus was taking
all of his clientele. "All are coming to Him."
- They meant this not to report the
Lord's success but to underscore John's failure! At this point, recall to mind what
John had said when Jesus first appeared.
- John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb
of God and mentioned that he wasn't even worthy of unlatching his sandal! (John
1:27) All of that sentiment is good when "business is up!"
- Multitudes were flocking to John
at that time. At this moment, John's ministry is in seeming decline. What does
he say now? That will be where the true test of what he really believes.
- He is the forerunner to the King
of God's Kingdom calling men to "repent" for it is at hand! How
should he respond now that the spotlight is on another?
- In the remaining section, John's
response will expose to us what a Kingdom centered response to humiliation
looks like. It begins with this statement: "What I Have Is From Him!"
V. 27
• John 3:27,28 : "John
answered and said, 'A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him
from heaven. You
yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have
been sent before Him.’" : John
saw right through their juvenile tactic. John understood that his ministry
influence was a matter decided by heaven.
- The first Pastor of Jerusalem
Christian Fellowship will later say that "every good and perfect gift
comes from above." (James 1:17)
- John saw the multitudes or the
few, as heaven sent responsibility! These were the ones that heaven decided he
would influence for that time!
- They came and they went and
others came and they went. He served those that were in front of him,
recognizing the value of that moment in their lives to God!
- John spent zero time focusing on
how to increase his influence or strategize his way into the hearts of men. He
was simply "a man" that had received something.
- He was not "The Man"
that went and took or made something happen, as is the world's philosophy. His
influence was granted to him, delivered to him from heaven.
- Those that benefited from his
unique ministry were provoked to be there because heaven had deemed it so.
- When the crowds swelled, it
wasn't because of John's prowess as a marketer. Alternately, when the crowds
decreased, it wasn't John's failing gifts. It was God's wisdom to move human
hearts.
- Whatever influence you have been
given, thank the Lord for it and recognize that it is your job to be faithful
with what you have been given and who has accepted your influence!
- A single soul's repentance gets a
party started in heaven! That is what John was calling people to as they were
baptized!
- It's not even outside of the
realm of possibility that once they were baptized, that he himself sent them to
Jesus, as he had with John, the author!
- Remember how he told his
disciples repeatedly, "That's the Lamb of God over there!"
- He had been clear from the
beginning that he was not worth following if there was a chance to follow
Jesus! They had borne him witness. They heard him say that he was not the
Messiah!
- He was a voice announcing the
Messiah's coming! Jesus was actually before him, but John had appeared in time
before Jesus, but that only to be His forerunner.
- This leads us to John's second
statement: "What Joy I Have Is In Him." Verse 29.
• John 3:29 : "He who
has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands
and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore
this joy of mine is fulfilled." : These two verses reinforce, to me, that the Jew's statements
were meant to produce discouragement in John.
- They wanted his spirit to be
crushed. His identity, in their minds, was related to his activity! He was a
baptizer, a revolutionary and now, someone was taking His role.
- John however, sees his role quite
differently. He looks at his relationship to Jesus as a groomsman, perhaps even
the Best Man, to the Groom himself!
- John furnishes them with an
illustration. The person at the wedding that gets to leave with the girl in the
beautiful white dress is the groom! The bride belongs to groom exclusively!
- If you are called to ministry as
John was, the healthiest attitude that you can have relates to this very nugget
of truth: The church, the believer, is not your bride!
- You are there to escort the bride
to her groom, to assist her in crossing through the crowd. No matter what
happens, your agenda is fixed by the context of who she belongs to!
- When I look at each of you, each
and every week, I am not ever thinking of you as "my people" or this
fellowship as "my church." You belong to Christ and I want to lead
you to Him!
- Paul expresses a similar
senteiment to the church of Corinth, who were being tempted to leave their
husband for an inferior suitor.
• II Corinthians 11:2 : "For I am jealous for you with godly
jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." : We belong to Jesus alone! Every
person that has influence over another has the charge of making sure that human
affections are pointed to Christ!
- He has left you food to eat that
I must serve you. He has left you with instructions for life that I must tell
you about. He alone is the Groom and we are His bride!
- As for the friend of the groom, John's
job was to stand by, listening to the groom and when he hears his voice, he's
excited, not bummed out!
- What kind of person would want to
attract the Lord's bride to Himself? What would have happened if John insisted
that people come to him instead of Jesus?
- No matter how great John was, if
he had attempted to take people's attention from Jesus, he would have taken
away their true joy and fellowship with God!
- What leader on earth has the
words of eternal life? What man could lead a person to heaven in a better way
than Jesus? These men expected John to bite!
- Instead, John is, like the friend
of the bridegroom, standing alone witnessing the joy of the groom as He
romances His bride. He pictures a Jewish weddings which were quite different to
ours.
- There was a contract portion,
then the consummation and then, the celebration. In this case, given the nature
of Messiah's first coming, John is the friend witnessing the contract signing.
- Jesus is about to pay out the
dowry for the Bride in His own blood! That's the bride price!
- John is ecstatic for his friend!
He can barely contain himself and is almost as happy for him as he would be if
he were the groom himself! John is far from jealous of the Lord's growing
influence.
- In fact, hearing this report,
which had been meant as a slight, had been turned to an occasion for joy! His
joy for what Jesus was experiencing was full to the brim!
- When we see the success of our
brothers and sisters in the Lord, it's not a cause for discouragement in our
hearts, but rather joy that God is working so wonderfully in them!
- Truly, this was the Son of God
whose ministry was flourishing, but when it's anyone that is having an impact
for the Kingdom that Jesus rules over, it should be a great encouragement.
- This leads us to one of the most
famous statements of the New Testament and another principle for us. "What
I Must Be Is For Him." Verse 30.
• John 3:30 : "He must
increase, but I must decrease." : In thinking about the current trends, John realizes, perhaps for
the first time, that his ministry is nearing it's end.
- In order for the Messiah to take
center stage in the hearts of Israel, His ministry influence would have to
increase, to enlarge, to become greater.
- Alternately, John would have to
decrease, to take a lower rank of authority. Both are present tense verbs. He
will be increasing, while John will be steadily decreasing.
- At the very least, there is a
resignation in the heart of John. At the most, this is a decision on his part
to take a step back publically.
- What it meant to John
historically, might be a great point of application to us personally! Being a
Christian is to literally be like Christ! We are "little Christs!"
- When Jesus says that we must be "born
again" to see the Kingdom of God, let it never be confusing to you: God
has birthed His own life in us! He has not birthed a better you!
- By God's Spirit inhabiting our
hearts, the righteous life of Christ is growing through us! Perhaps we could
simply resign to cooperate with Him as He rearranges, re-organizes our lives.
- We can depend upon His
sovereignty and resign to what He will ultimately do, but I myself find this a
little too passive and quite honestly, the lesser of two choices.
- I prefer to be aggressive and
take the Lord's efforts seriously and consciously remove all from my life that I
know to be a hindrance to my progress in holiness!
- Either way, whatever we brought
into this world, whatever habits we have sown, it would be a very good idea to
say, "He must continually increase in my life and I must continually
decrease!"
- That which belongs to Him; His
character, His love, HIs mercy, His compassion, must continually extend itself
through my life and be the focus of what others see if the Kingdom matters!
- My stubborness, my sinfulness, my
stupidity must not be allowed to rule over my decisions. Whatever part is Him
must increase, while whatever part is me, related to my flesh, must decrease!
- This is a worthy point of
consideration for us. Can I honestly say that He has been increasing in my
life?
- Is His influence felt more keenly
today than it was yesterday or are my points of view unaffected by His
presence? John, as great he was, knew that he had to decrease. Why? Verse 31.
• John 3:31-34 : "He who
comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of
the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard,
that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony
has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does
not give the Spirit by measure." : John's final statement might look like this: "Who He Is
Is More Important Than Who I Am!" How could John ever be envious of Jesus?
- Jesus came from heaven and is the
ruler over all! John says,
"You want me to compete with God incarnate?" He who comes from above
is above all! He rules over everything!
- There is no office higher than
His! He is greater than all! Understanding that is the literal difference
between heaven and earth!
- John is a man of the earth and he
speaks as one that only has this limited perspective. He is not dumb, nor is he
insignificant. He is simply not endowed with anything more than Earthiness!
- John understands that he is not
in the same category as Jesus and therefore, there is no sense of competition.
- John had been given a
stewardship. He had been given orders. Jesus is the One who is part of the
group that was giving orders!
- John can only respond to what he
perceives spiritually and that, at the pleasure of God to give it to him. Jesus
speaks from His own experience of heaven's realities.
- Jesus testifies of the realities
of heaven with eyewitness clarity. He does not interpret or receive relayed
information. He speaks from experience!
- He is the only trusted source and
John incredibly exclaims that nobody was buying it! What does he mean? He can't
mean that there wasn't a single person that bought in.
- John, his disciples, the Lord's
disciples and many others, were in fact, receiving His testimony as truth.
Perhaps John means to say that the nation as a whole was in the process of
rejecting it.
- Cetainly, the religious leaders
that he is addressing fit into that "rejecting" category.
- It might be that he understands
that it takes a work of the Spirit's sovereign hand to receive it. In other
words, the Lord's testimony is true, but it is not naturally discerned, but
spiritually transferred!
- Jesus is testifying but no one
has the natural capacity to receive it. All of these might have an element of
truth. What John can say is that the one who does receive it confirms that God
is true.
- The word "certified"
refers to a seal of authenticity. It refers to the impress made by a stamp.
When you receive the Lord's testimony through the word, you attest to all that
God has been true!
- I would add my personal stamp of
approval! Everything God has promised, He has delivered on and then some!
- Jesus was sent into this world by
God with the very words of the Father and does so by the agency of the Spirit.
God has given His words and His Spirit without measure to Christ!
- You and I receive what gifts we
receive from the Lord, but rarely do you find a person that has every single
gift at once! Jesus is that person! God gave all of the Spirit to Christ!
- There was no measuring rod when
it came to Him. We are minute, tiny, displays of the grace of God. He was the
full color, billboard of heaven! Verse 35.
• John 3:35,36 : "The
Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting
life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of
God abides on him.'" :
The Father loves the Son. That is the basis for every good thing that comes to
you and I.
- Because we are in Him, we receive
the full benefit of that love! Because He has all things, we share in all
things that are His! That begins when we put our faith in the Son!
- The word "believe" has
been repeated 11 times in three chapters! You might want to know that! It is
significant, in that, this is John's purpose for writing!
- There is no more important
decision that a person can make than to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ!
That has eternal consequences! What they think of you or me has no signifcance!
- For the one who believes upon Him
has entered into the possession presently of eternal, everlasting life! They
are having now, the life eternal promised by God!
- The one who doesn't believe will
not see life! The word relates to optomology. To not believe in the Son insures
that you will never behold the life that God intends for you!
- John, underscoring the importance
to these Jewish leaders, tells them, "Even now, God's wrath is dwelling,
standing over you!" An unbeliever is living a life that is presently
cursed!
- When you consider God's wrath,
remember that it is not capricious. It is not a sudden outburst, but a measured
and righteous extension of His own character.
- It will explode when it does, but
it will stream out steadily and righteously toward those that will not believe
in Christ! Why?
- Because of the profundity of our
sin and because of the greatness of His offer that is being rejected.
Ultimately, it will be for the offense against love that will seal a person's
doom!
Conclusion
- What ministry
influence that you or I have comes from Him! He chooses how far our voice
carries and for how long that sustains in the hearts of men.
- The joy that
you or I have is fulfilled when we see others attach themselves to Him. There
is no greater joy than to see people falling in love with Jesus!
- In this life,
what I must be is for Him because who He is matters more than who I am! What
people believe about Him has eternal consequence.
- May it never
be said about us that we got in someone's way of realizing that! John's example
has taught us better!
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