Sermon - John 3:30 - He Must Increase! - Littleby Baptist Church - October 22, 2017

John 3:22-20

“²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized. ²³ John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, ²⁴ since John had not yet been thrown into prison. ²⁵ Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification. ²⁶ So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.” ²⁷ John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.”

At some point after John had baptized Jesus, Jesus starting His ministry, and before John was thrown into jail and eventually beheaded, they were both preaching the message of repentance and baptizing people in the same region of Judea.

John’s disciples were concerned that Jesus was baptizing people nearby and His ministry was growing and essentially taking away from John’s ministry. They did not understand why this was happening and were a little upset that the man they were following, who baptized Jesus himself, was seeing his following shrink.

John’s response was this.

John 3:27

“John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.”

He was stating to his disciples that, everything he had been given had been given to him by God in the first place. He knew he was the crier, announcing the coming Messiah and that eventually his ministry would come to an end as the Messiah stepped forward. John’s disciples did not yet grasp that John was fulfilling his role preparing the way for Jesus the One True Messiah. Preparing for the One who can really forgive sins, the One who would pave the way for true restoration for all who believe.

John 3:28

“You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’”

We read this in John 1:20

“He didn’t deny it but confessed: “I am not the Messiah.”

John is reminding them that his job was to pave the way for the Messiah, not to take His place. Remember what happened when Jesus was baptized? The sky opened, the dove came down, and God spoke. He is the One, not me... John completely accepted that Jesus’ ministry would grow at the cost of his.

John 3:29

“²⁹ He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete.”

John uses this example to explain who he is in this situation. He is telling his disciples that he is not the groom, but he is the groom’s friend. He tells them that he is excited that the groom, Jesus, is there. He is celebrating all that Jesus is doing, and that John’s joy is made complete in knowing that the Messiah has come.

Something we need to remember. The glory and honor is all God’s. Our joy is made complete in our serving Him and seeing His work made complete in our lives as well as others.

Then he tells them an extremely important statement.

John 3:30

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

No matter what John has accomplished in his life, no matter the size of the following he had, no matter what… all that truly mattered was that Jesus must increase and John would decrease.

At first that might seem like John was giving up or that he thought his life no longer had any value, but that is not what is meant here.

As great as John was, all that he accomplished, and the fact that his story is told in the Bible means absolutely nothing when compared to Jesus. John understood that his job was to pave the way and then turn it all over to the One True God, Jesus Christ.

He understood that ‘Jesus must increase and he must decrease.”

This verse starts with ‘He must’… now if I tell my son that ‘he must’ do something, those with teenagers know that does not always mean that it will actually get done. But, when the Bible states ‘He must’… it is an absolute necessity that it must happen.

It does not say that Jesus should increase, it does not say that it would be a good idea for Jesus to increase, it does not tell us that we should think about it and come to some group decision on it. It states that ‘He Must Increase.’ It is not optional, it is flat out going to happen. At some point it is going to happen. It does not matter if we want it to or not, it does not matter if we embrace that it must happen, or even accept it. It Will Happen.

Romans 14:11

“for it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.”

You will find similar statements in Isaiah, Philippians, and Revelations. It is a fact. At some point every person who ever lives will bow down to Jesus and confess that Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus Must Increase. It is going to happen, there is no stopping it, whether you believe it or not… Jesus will increase.

John 3:30

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

If it is an absolute fact that at some point in time we are going to recognize that Jesus has increased, we need to come to terms that we will decrease.

Now this does not mean we decrease in value in the eyes of the Lord. As followers of Jesus, we are loved beyond our wildest imaginations. It does not mean that we cease to exist. The Bible tells us that we will live for an eternity in God’s presence, if we repent of our sins and submit to Him. If we don’t we still live for an eternity but it is nowhere near as pleasant.

In this case decreasing has nothing to do with our value or our longevity.

Is anyone here absolutely perfect in the eyes of the Lord without Jesus? Is anyone sinless?

We are fallen individuals. We are sinful creatures. We have made mistake after mistake after mistake. God is not any of these things and He has never made a single mistake.

God is perfect and if we are honest with ourselves we are not.

If you are hiring someone to build you a house, do you want the experienced home builder who has a successful track record of completing the job on schedule, on budget, and a list of happy customers or do you want to hire the kid who just graduated from High School?

One is likely to exceed your expectations and the other is likely to miss the mark.

Who do you want in charge of your life, You or God?

We would higher the experienced home builder and we need to let God lead our lives.

In our lives ‘He must increase, and we must decrease.”

If Jesus is truly the Lord of your life He will increase and you will decrease.

Proverbs 3:1-12

“3 My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; ² for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. ³ Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴ Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people. ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. ⁷ Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. ⁸ This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones. ⁹ Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; ¹⁰ then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine. ¹¹ Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; ¹² for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.”

Don’t forget His teachings and keep His commands… put God first. He Must Increase.

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding’ His knowledge is greater than ours… He Must Increase and we must decrease.

‘Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord’… we must decrease.

‘Honor the Lord with your possessions’ … He Must Increase.

We need to put God first in all things. He Must Increase.

We need to submit how we spend our time to God. The time we spend reading the Bible, talking to God, and doing the things He has commanded to do… Must Increase. The time spent doing the worldly things Must Decrease.

In our finances, we need to put God first. His control of our finances must Increase and our control needs to decrease.

In your relationships, Jesus must be the center of them. His influence Must Increase.

Think about any area of your life where you are struggling, anything that has you feeling overwhelmed, anything that is causing you to feel down. Who is leading it, You or God?

Are you fighting with your spouse, is the stress at work getting you down, is there a medical issue that has you worried, a wayward child that keeps you up at night, wondering what you are supposed to be doing with your life or for ministry, you name it… Put Jesus first in all things. He Must Increase.

Do you believe that Jesus is ‘the way, the truth, and the life’?

Then remember ‘He must Increase and you must decrease.’ Put Him first in all things and let His influence in your life Increase.

I pray this verse over myself pretty much every day. I pray that Jesus increases and I decrease. I pray that people see more of Him in how I live my life, the way I spend my money, the decisions I make at work, how I treat my wife, my children, and that person who drives me crazy.

I pray this when I am stressing, reminding myself that Jesus is in control not me.

‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’

Not only in our ministries, but in our lives.

I dare you to pray this over your lives. Everyday pray that with every thought and every action that Jesus increases and you decrease.

You are going to meet Jesus face to face someday, it would be better to bow to Him now and acknowledge that ‘He Must Increase’ before it is too late.

If you do not know Jesus this morning, I want you to know that the rest of have been there. We are all in the same boat as sinners and fall short in God’s eyes. If left to our own efforts none of us could earn our way into heaven. Thankfully God knew this and sent Jesus Christ, His one and only son to die on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for us. All who come to Him, confess that they are sinners, and submit to Him as Lord will be saved.

If you have never asked Jesus to be your savior and want to change that right here this morning I invite you to come forward during our final song. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed we have all been there.

God Bless,

Robert