If it gets too warm in here,
you have a tendency to go to sleep. This is the most difficult time
of the year, I think, to try to manage the temperature in
a building. When it's 99 degrees outside,
you can make it cold and everybody's happy. But when it's cold outside
and we come in here and we try to have it warm, and at the same
time not too warm. It's not always easy. Let's open
our Bibles tonight to John chapter 3. John chapter 3. We're going to look at the last
half of this chapter tonight. Last time that we studied the
first 21 verses, we looked at the Lord Jesus Christ speaking
with Nicodemus, instructing him on the necessity of the new birth. Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now, verse 22, we read, after
these things, after his visit to Jerusalem, and while he was
there, his meeting with Nicodemus, after these things, Jesus and
his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there he tarried
with them and baptized. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ
himself did not baptize. His disciples baptized men. But he was in this area preaching,
teaching, and those who believed were baptized. And then we see
that John also, John the Baptist, he was nearby baptizing in Aenon,
near to Salem, because there was much water there. And they
came and were baptized. for John was not yet cast into
prison." Now, beginning with verse 25, we have, I believe,
the last recorded witness that John the Baptist gave to the
Savior. And it came about because, as
we read, there arose a question between some of John's disciples
and the Jews about purifying. You know, in the Law of Moses,
the ceremonial part of the Law of Moses, there was a great deal
of rights for purification. A person might become ceremonially
unclean if he touched a bone, if he had to pick up a body of
a dead person. There were just many ways that
a person would be rendered unclean and not allowed in the camp to
worship. And most of those ceremonies,
those rites, involved washings. And also we know from the Gospels
that the Jews themselves, they had the tradition of the elders. And remember, I think on more
than one occasion, they were amazed that the Lord Jesus Christ
came into a place where he was invited and ate without washing. They washed up to their elbows.
They had a ritual that they went through. And of course, baptism
is a picture of the gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection
of our Lord and Savior. And so we read here that there
was a discussion, a dissension, between some of John's disciples,
that is John the Baptist's disciples, and the Jews about purifying. And then John's disciples came
unto him. and said unto him, Rabbi, he,
speaking of Christ. And you see the title that they
give to John the Baptist, they refer to him as Rabbi. But the title they give to the
Lord Jesus Christ is simply he, Rabbi, he. There was some disciples
of John who were not well instructed And it seems as though they thought
that they could cause some kind of division between John the
Baptist and the Lord himself. They came unto John and said
unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom
thou bearest witness, the one to whom you bear witness, behold,
the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John was a witness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read that, of course, in the
first chapter and verses six and seven. The scripture says
there was a man, son of God, There was a man sent from God
whose name was John. The same came for a witness to
bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. This gives John, this this attempt,
as I see it, an attempt on the part of John's disciples to cause
some division between John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ. But what this does, it gives
him an opportunity, one more time at least, that we know of
before he was put into prison, to witness of Christ. That's
what he was. He was a witness. And I want
us to look at these verses, the remainder of the chapter, in
these two divisions. First, John gives his disciples
three differences between the Lord Jesus and himself. Number
one, the Lord Jesus is the Christ. This one that you refer to as
He, He is the Christ. I'm merely his forerunner. Notice that in verse 28. Well, let's begin with verse
27. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except it
be given him from heaven. Now, our Lord said, No man can
come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him. And in another place, or the
same passage rather, there in John 6, he tells us that they
shall all be taught of God. And everyone who is taught of
God comes to Christ, comes to the Savior. A man can receive
nothing, nothing, except it be given him from heaven, from above. Who maketh thee to differ from
another? Isn't that what the Apostle Paul
asked the Corinthians? And that's a question that every
believer, every child of God considers. Who makes us to differ
from another? Why is it that you believe and
others don't believe? Why is it that you love Christ
and others have no interest in Christ? Who maketh thee to differ
from another? And of course, every child of
God, we confess It's God. It's God who makes us to differ.
If there is a difference, it's God. A man can receive nothing
except it be given him from heaven. You yourselves, now notice what
John tells them, you yourselves bear me witness that I said,
I'm not the Christ. Now he's speaking to those who
are called his disciples and he reminds them You bear me witness. From the very beginning, I never
claimed to be the Christ. I told you very clearly, I am
not the Christ. And John calls them to remember
that his witness had not changed. From the very beginning, his
witness had been the same. It never changed. I'm not the
Christ. I'm His forerunner. I'm a voice
sent before Him to bear witness to Him. Look back in chapter
1 and verses 20 and 23. When He was questioned, Scripture
says in verse 20, And He, that is John, confessed and denied
not, but confessed, I'm not that Christ. And then in verse 23,
He said, I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make
straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet, he saith. He came before the Lord Jesus
as his witness, and his witness never changed. He witnessed,
he that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before
me. That's John's witness, and he
says, you bear me witness when they came and and wanted to cause
some division between John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ. He reminds them, my witness has
always been the same. He that cometh after me is preferred
before me because he was before me. And of course he's testifying
to our Lord's deity, isn't he? John the Baptist was born into
this world six months before the Lord Jesus Christ, but John
says, He was before me. He's always been the eternal
Son of God. John calls their attention, first
of all, to this great fact. The Lord Jesus Christ, He is
the Christ. I'm merely His forerunner. You yourselves bear me witness
that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. Number two, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the bridegroom. I'm merely his friend. Verse
29, he that hath the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend
of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoiceth greatly
because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. Now the Lord Jesus Christ only
has one bride. And that one bride is His church. That one bride is made up of
those that God set His love upon, that God chose and gave unto
Christ to be His bride. He only has one bride. In that
passage in Ephesians chapter 5, where the Apostle Paul speaks
of duties, if you want to use that word, of a husband and the
wife, He ends up that passage by saying this, For this cause
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined
unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great
mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and His church. When a
man and woman join together in marriage, they become one. And so those of us who believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who trust in Him, we are one with
Christ. We are in union with Christ. So much so, my friends, that
the Bible teaches that when Christ was hanging upon the cross, we
were hanging upon the cross in Him. When He kept the law, we
kept the law. When he died, we died. When he
was buried, we were buried. When he came out of the grave,
we came out of the grave. When he ascended on high, we
ascended on high. Because he is the bridegroom
and we are one with him. We are his bride, those of us
who trust in him, who know him tonight as our Lord and Savior. John said, I'm just the friend
of the bridegroom. And when he says that, I believe
he has reference not only to himself as the forerunner of
Christ, he did especially come as the friend of the bridegroom.
But this is true of every man that God calls to preach the
gospel. In a sense, we are friends of
the bridegroom because Paul said this to the church at Corinth.
He said, ìI am jealous over you with godly jealousy, for I have
espoused you to one husband.î ìI have espoused you to one husband.î
And nothing gave John more joy than when his disciples came
to him and said, ìAll men are going to him.î All men go to
Christ. Nothing could have given John
more joy than to hear that. That men were looking to Christ. Men were going to Christ. Men
were trusting in Christ. And the same is true of every
preacher of the gospel. Nothing gives us more joy than
when someone tells us that they have come to know the Lord Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior. Nothing can compare to that,
to think that God would use me, that God would use you, that
God would use any man in preaching the gospel and call out his people
through the message, through the gospel that he has given
us. What a privilege, what a joy.
And number three, John said the Lord Jesus must increase, I must
decrease. Verse 30, He must increase, but
I must decrease. John was like the shining of
the morning star that must give way to the sun of righteousness,
rising with healing in his wings. John's office of preparing the
way for Christ was to give place to the full manifestation of
Him. and his gospel, which was to
shine more and more. He must increase, but I must
decrease. And that's true of every preacher,
and that's true of every believer, every child of God. We must decrease. He must increase. In our thinking,
in our living, in everything. That should be our goal always. He must increase. I must decrease. None but Christ. None but Christ. Now there's
three things, three differences John points out to these disciples
who were jealous over him. And you know it's easy, it's
easy to get jealous over a man. We see that in the church at
Corinth. They were carnal and they were jealous because some
of them like the preaching of this man, some like the preaching
of this man, and some like the preaching of this other man.
And all of these men were preaching Christ. And none of them were
trying to attract followers to themselves. That was never their
purpose. But it is easy, and especially
for young believers, to be taken up with a particular preacher. But you can follow a preacher,
but if you miss Christ, you've missed everything. And every
preacher who is worth his salt will point you to Christ. That's
his goal, that's his desire, to look to Christ and only him. Now, in the second part of the
message, I want us to see how that John instructs these disciples
that rather than be jealous for Him, they should, they should
trust in Christ. They should believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ. First of all, He instructs them
concerning His person. Verse 31, He that cometh from
above is above all. Now John did not come from above.
Christ came from above. He that cometh from above is
above all. Now how did He come from above? He came from above by His birth,
by His incarnation. He who is the eternal Son of
God who has always existed, who is one with the Father and the
Holy Spirit. He took into union with His person
that body that was prepared Him by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin
Mary. He came from above, and He is
above all. Trust in Him, look to Him, believe
in Him, first of all, because of who He is. If He's just a
mere man, well, He can't help you very much. But seeing that
He is the God-man, that His blood is even referred to as the blood
of God. Not that God has blood, but there's
such a union between the deity and the humanity and the person
of Jesus Christ that what one did, it may be said that the
other did. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter
8 just a moment. He that cometh from above is
above all. Proverbs chapter 8, beginning with verse 22. The Lord possessed me in the
beginning of His way, before his works of old. I was set up
from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there
were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when he prepared the heavens, I was there, when
he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established
the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass
his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth,
Then I was by him, as one brought up with him, and I was daily
his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the
habitable part of his earth, and my delights were with the
sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto me,
O you children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear
instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the
man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at
the post of my doors. For whoso findeth me, findeth
life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. Whoso findeth me,
seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while
he is near. Who is this speaking? This is
Christ speaking. Before there was ever the heavens
or the earth or the seas or any of these things, he was, he existed
always. And don't you love that verse
that tells us, my delights were with the sons of men. My delights
were with, that's with you, with me, with the son. My delights
are with the son. I delight to do thy will, O God. He came in the volume of the
book, it was written of him to do God's will. And he fulfilled
God's will. God said, this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased. And he is well pleased, God is
well pleased with everyone who is in Christ. Dressed in his
righteousness, washed in his blood, this is
my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. John instructs these
disciples concerning the person of this one that they said all
are going to him. Well, who is he? He's the eternal
Son of God who came into this world. And then number two, back
here in John chapter three, he instructed them concerning his
doctrine. Verse 32, and what he has seen
and heard that he testified, and no man receiveth his testimony. Men who are from the earth are
sure to speak of the earth. But he who is from heaven, he
is the Lord. He has always been in the bosom
of the Father. He was privy to all of the counsels,
all of the purposes. His doctrine is true. The doctrine, the teaching of
the Lord Jesus Christ, it is true. He is from heaven and he
speaks, he testifies. What he has seen and heard, that's
what he testifies. Our Lord said this many times,
especially in the Gospel of John, we see this. My doctrine is not
mine, but him that sent me. The words that I speak unto thee,
they're not mine, they were given unto me. Showing to me and showing
to you the exact perfect submission of Jesus Christ. Doesn't that
impress you? Doesn't it? The submission, the
absolute perfect submission of Jesus Christ to the Father's
will. So much so that even His words,
the words which He spoke were given to Him. John sees this as a shame. You notice in that text, verse
32, he said, And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth,
and no man receiveth his testimony. What a shame! He came unto his
own, and his own received him not. But to as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them which believe on his name. His testimony generally
was not received. After his crucifixion on the
day of Pentecost, how many followers were there in the upper room?
A hundred and twenty. Truth, truth usually does not
have the majority on its side. Now that's just so. Many people,
and I heard the sad story of a lady just recently who was
dying, and she told her son, I know, speaking of the pagan
church of Rome, she said, I know because so many people believe
that it must be true. How sad. How sad. The majority is usually not on
the side of truth. But listen, truth is never up
for debate. Truth is razor sharp. It is. It's razor sharp. And it's never up for debate.
It's true because Christ is the truth. God is true. Let all men, the Apostle Paul
said, let all men be liars. But God, He speaks the truth. And third, He instructs them
concerning His place above all others. Notice in verse Verse
35, The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into
His hand. You say, well, what does that
mean? Well, it means what it says.
The Father loves the Son, His obedience, His obedience even
unto death, and the Father has given all things into His hands. Now I know you know this, but
let me remind you and myself once again, He has you, He has
me in His hand. All things, all things. The Father has given all things
into His hand. He is the Lord of all things. He was given the Spirit, as the
Scripture here says, without measure, verse 34, for he whom
God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the
Spirit by measure unto him. He has the Spirit given unto
him without measure, and he has all power. He said, all power
is given unto me, both in heaven and in earth. He has all grace. All grace to give eternal life
to as many as the Father hath given Him. And number four, the last point.
He instructs them that faith in Christ is necessary for eternal
life. Verse 36. He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Look over just a few pages to
John chapter 6. John chapter 6 and verse 37. Sarah's father was here last
week and he told me an illustration that
Cody had used when preaching there, Cody Groover, when preaching
there at their church the last time in Lexington, Kentucky. An illustration about faith and
I thought that was so good. And Cody was emphasizing the
fact that people call upon you to make a decision, make a decision
to believe, make a decision to trust in Christ. And Kodish said,
you know, faith is something like this. When a person is asleep,
he wakes up, he opens his eyes, he doesn't make a conscious decision
to see. He sees. He sees. And when God gives you faith,
you see. you believe, you trust in Christ. John 6 verse 37 through 40, All
that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out. Have you come to Christ? Can you come to Christ? If you
do, you can. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, you
say, well how do I know if the Father gave me to Christ? Do
you come to Christ? Do you trust in Christ? All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven not
to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which
He hath given me, I should lose nothing. but should raise Him
up at the last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on
Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the
last day. May the Lord bless this word
to all of us here this evening. I'm going to ask the men to come
at this time, and we're going to observe the Lord's Table. And I would remind us that this
is the Lord's Table.