Sermon Tone Analysis

He Must Increase, I Must Decrease \\ \\

November 22, 2009

*John 3:22-30*

/ /

On May 26th, Henry Blackaby spoke about “Whoever is Least” and referred to Matthew 11:22/.

“I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he/

John the Baptist's role was to decrease in prominence while Jesus' ministry increased (John 3:30).

John allowed his disciples to leave him in order to follow Jesus.

His ministry lasted only about six months before he was wrongfully imprisoned and executed on the whim of a cruel monarch.

Yet Jesus said that no one who had come before John was any greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Moses had parted the Red Sea; Elijah had raised the dead and brought down fire from heaven; Isaiah had written a revered book of Scripture; yet in the brief time of service granted to John, he had matched them all for greatness in the kingdom of heaven!

Incredibly, Jesus said that we have the opportunity to be even greater in the kingdom of heaven than John the Baptist.

He announced the coming of Christ, but we, as Christians, have Christ living within us.

We must remember that service to God is the greatest privilege we can receive in life.

To serve God in even the most menial way is an honor far greater than we deserve.

John was given less than a year to complete his assignment, and he did so with all that he had.

We have the opportunity to allow Jesus to carry out His work through our lives, so that greater things are done through us than were ever accomplished through John the Baptist.

Our mandate is the same as John's: to lift up Jesus while denying ourselves.

Oh, that we would do so with the same fervor as John the Baptist!

Today.

We’re going to look at a passage of Scripture that transitions us from the end of the ministry of John the Baptist to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.

It’s a powerful message on increasing and decreasing.

Please open your Bible to John chapter three and we’ll read verses 22 through 30.

/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).

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 answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.

You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’

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.”

/

The scene is the Judean countryside where Jesus and his disciples are baptizing and John was not far away also baptizing.

Jesus was gathering a following and the followers signified  their repentance and faith by baptism.

So Jesus was baptizing and John was Baptizing

Then in verse 23 John the Baptist gets us ready for the main point of this section through a conversation between himself and his followers.

Verses 23-24 say: /“John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized.”/

So the situation is set: Jesus’ band of brothers is baptizing, and John’s band of brothers is baptizing.

There are hundreds and hundreds of things that could be told about Jesus by the gospel writer, John.

Remember John 21:25/: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did.

Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

/

So why, right here after the Nicodemus conversation the night before, does John bring in John the Baptist  again to say, /“I’m not the Christ,”/ and, /“I am not the bridegroom but only a friend of the bridegroom,”/ and , /“He must increase, but I must decrease/”?

*John’s Joy Over Jesus Increasing*

We have heard this theme before.

John 1:8: John the Baptist says he is not the light.

In John 1:20: He says is not the Christ.

John 1:21: He says he is not Elijah and not the prophet.

John 1:23: He says he is just a voice crying in the wilderness.

In John 1:27: He says he is not worthy to unstrap Jesus’ sandals.

John has continually humbled himself and exalted Christ.

Why does the writer bring in John again?

Is there something here we shouldn’t miss?

You bet there is!

John doesn’t repeat himself.

There are new things that he says and new emotions expressed.

I think there must have been confusion; if John the Baptist’s disciples were confused as to who to follow, you can bet others were too.

John the Baptist had to clearly point to the Messiah and to do this he had to decrease so Christ could increase.

The attention had to be on the Christ, the Messiah, the  Annointed One.

John knew his job was over.

John was backing out of the picture gracefull and with joy.

Listen to the joy in John the Baptist~/s voice:: /“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.”

/Those are strong words: “rejoices greatly” and “this joy of mine is not complete.”

Great joy.

Complete joy.

All owing to what?

The Bridegroom is getting all the attention.

The cameras are flashing in that direction.

The rice is all flying in that direction.

The honeymoon is in that direction.

The voice of the Bridegroom, the voice of the Shepherd, has replaced the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

And in a few months, the sword of Herod will absolutely silence John’s voice (cf.

verse 24).

And John’s response to this—to this diminishing, this decreasing?

This great joy of mine is now complete (verse 29).

There are many today who find this response puzzling.

Who of us can honestly show such humility?

But, in the face of Jesus, we must decrease!

He must increase!

No one, nothing should come between the Bridegroom and our love for Him.

Jesus said, /“ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

/Strong words, aren’t they?

Do you believe them?

I am to love Jesus more than Marcy, or any of my kids!

Yes, more than anyone or anything else!

Jesus is clearly demanding that we treasure him over everyone and everything else.

To many people today, that is sheer egomania.

Jesus demands that we love him more than anyone—that we follow him, trust him, enjoy him, be satisfied in him, delight in him, obey him more than anyone or anything  else.

That’s true.

He does.

Is that your response to Jesus?

Or is your response the exact opposite?

Nicodemus was flabbergasted and appalled.

/How are these things possible/; he says in John 3:9.

John the Baptist knew this was possible.

He knew *when Jesus increases, joy increases*.

John the Baptist says, “/Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

He must increase, but I must decrease.”/

John is saying, “When Jesus becomes greater in the world and I become lesser in the world, my joy increases.”