Gospel according to John, chapter 3. I remember wondering when we'd first read the law in the Old Testament. Seventh day was to be a day of rest, but there were the priests and the Levites still doing their work. And this is today, the first day of the week, is a day of rest when we honor the Lord in the church. And I recall Lody Bockham saying, Someone said to him, well, you're not resting, you're working on it. He said, no, that preparation for all week, that's work. This is worship. And when you get to preach a passage like this one, just the glory of it, the example that John the Baptist sets for all of us, for ministers, just for all who would follow Christ, is just an amazing thing. This is a blessed, blessed passage. the final testimony of John the Baptist, at least as we have it in the Gospel of John. It's a wonderful, wonderful passage of Scripture. So John chapter 3, verse 22. John 3, 22. After these things, Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing John also was baptizing in Einon, near Siloam, because there was much water there and people were coming and were being baptized. For John had not yet been thrown in prison. Therefore, there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification. And they came to John, and they said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he's baptizing, and all are coming to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, I'm not the Christ, but I've been sent ahead of him. 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. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all, but he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies, and no one receives his testimony. He who has received his testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For he gives the Spirit without measure. The father loves the son and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life. But the wrath of God abides on him. Heavenly Father, we are so blessed to have Your Word. We're so blessed to know You. We are so blessed that You have sent Your Son into the world to accomplish our salvation, that You've sent Your Spirit into the world and into our hearts that we might know You, that this gift might be applied to us. Lord, we're so blessed to have this Word now and to have this time with brothers and sisters to look into this Word, to hear from You. And Lord, I pray You will speak this Word into our hearts in the power of Your Spirit, and that it will have a transforming effect on every one of us. And we ask it in Christ's name. So in the first 21 verses of chapter 3 of John's Gospel here, John recounted this conversation Jesus had had with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. And in those 21 verses, our Lord taught that if one is to enter the kingdom of God, if one is to even see the kingdom of God, he must be born again, born of the Spirit, born from above. That doesn't happen by anything other than a work of God. God must make you spiritually alive because we're all coming into this world spiritually dead, and a dead person cannot make himself alive. And Jesus told Nicodemus he'd come down from heaven, that he'd been sent by the Father into the world to save all those who would believe in Him. That all who believe in Him have eternal life. And he alluded to an event in Numbers chapter 21, where the sons of Jacob had once again rebelled against the Lord and were complaining. And he sent serpents among them. And Jesus alluded to this event, saying, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. And he meant on a cross. So that, Jesus continued, whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. This is what we must all understand. There are no works you can do to earn eternal life. Whoever truly believes in Him, and if you want to know, do I really believe in Him? Look at your life. Does your life manifest a belief in your heart in Him? The lifting up of the Son of Man on the cross was not one of many possible remedies for our condition. It was the only possible remedy for the condition of fallen man. There had to be a sinless, unblemished offering made to God for the sins of all of us. Christ's death was absolutely necessary if anyone was to be redeemed from sin and its penalty. And so God, because of His great love with which He loved us, sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. The Father sent His Son into the world, Jesus said, because of His love, because He loves us. But fallen men, Jesus said, love their sins. And Jesus said they loved the darkness rather than the light that was in Him. They preferred to live without the knowledge of God. They preferred to live apart from His righteous purity. They're lost in sin. And so those to whom Jesus came and people today are not willing to receive Him. The unbelieving are always avoiding the light of Christ. They'll have nothing to do with Him. though He's the only means of forgiveness of sins, though He's the very source and embodiment of divine truth. They want nothing to do with the Bible. They want nothing to do with Christ. They want nothing to do with His people. And their destiny is certain eternal hell unless they repent and believe in Him. In their hearts, they hate the light, though. And the reason for this, Jesus said, is that they fear their sinful deeds will be exposed. Well, folks, God knows all our sinful deeds. He knows every sinful thought. He knows every sinful word that's in us. And yet, He saved us. He saved those who He had come to save. And so, Beginning in verse 22 now, John continues his narrative account of Christ in the world in his public ministry. And now Jesus had come into the Judean countryside. He'd left Jerusalem where He was talking to Nicodemus. And this could have been any time within the next six, seven months. So here's what He says. After these things, Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, the countryside, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. Now we read in chapter 4, the first two verses, it was actually His disciples who were doing the baptizing, not Jesus. But at the same time as Jesus' disciples were baptizing, John was still baptizing in Inon, near the Jordan River, near a town called Salim. Why? Because there was much water there. And people were coming and were being baptized because, John says, John the Baptist had not yet been thrown in prison. So there's two initial points here in these first couple of verses. First of all, John was apparently, and quite clearly actually, not baptizing by sprinkling a little water on somebody. He was baptizing by immersion. We know that because he was baptizing many because there was much water there. That's why he was baptizing in Einon near Siloam. You don't need much water to sprinkle a person on the head. Second, John wrote these words in such a way that indicates he believed and was aware that his readers were aware that John the Baptist had by this time been imprisoned by Herod and ultimately beheaded by him. So Jesus' disciples are baptizing in Judea. And this shows us that following John's baptism of Jesus and Satan's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, which is recorded in the other Gospels, there was this period of time, as I said, six, seven months probably, during which Jesus and John the Baptist were both engaged in this ministry. And Matthew and Mark and Luke omit the events that John records here in our passage this morning. So John is supplementing those accounts by recording them here. But Scripture's clear, and we have to understand this. John the Baptist and Jesus and Paul and Peter and John, for all of the Bible writers for that matter, were all preaching the same message. There aren't multiple messages. There aren't multiple Gospels. Matthew chapter 3, verse 1, In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4, 17, From that time Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The same message. So, verse 25 here, we see that John the Baptist still had disciples even after some of his disciples, Andrew and John for two, as well as Peter and Philip and Nathanael and probably James, had all left to follow Jesus, having been pointed to Jesus by John. And John and Jesus were both baptizing at the same time. And there arose a discussion between some of John's disciples who were still following him and a certain unidentified Jew about purification. Now, what is all this about purification? What is it about cleansing? Well, we know from the Old Testament that in His law, God had given the Jews various washings, cleansing, and purification rites, which they were supposed to do before they would offer sacrifices or come into the assembly. But after that, apparently deeming that the washings that God had appointed were insufficient, some of the Jews had added other washings over the years, not given by God. One of those, remember, was that ritual hand washing we see before they ate, which Jesus and His disciples were not participating in. So now, here's John introducing a new method of cleansing. Why are they going into the water? Well, they are confessing their sins, declaring their willingness to repent of their sins. So John had been sent by God to baptize. He didn't just come into the wilderness on his own. God sent him. And now Jesus was also baptizing. So it's understandable that there would be men among the Jews who would want to know what is going on here. We don't read this in the book of Exodus or Leviticus. We don't read this in any of the writings written down of the oral traditions of the rabbis. What is this new cleansing that's going on? In addition, the fact that Jesus was now baptizing caused some concern among some of John's disciples, some of whom came to John with this complaint. They didn't identify Jesus by name, but they said, Rabbi, that one who was with you beyond the Jordan to whom you have testified, he's out there baptizing, and all are coming to him. Now, what's that sound like? Well, that sounds like they have some resentment of Jesus out there doing this. Now, all, obviously, we're not coming to Him, but this is one of these alls that doesn't really mean every person in the whole world or in the whole countryside. But look at these words, He who was with you beyond the Jordan. Doesn't mention Him by name. To whom you have testified. They described Him in a way that seemed to bring out the thought that they felt Jesus was really under some obligation to the Baptists. And maybe that they saw Jesus as ungrateful to the Baptists for His endorsement. They saw themselves, it seems to me, as defending their leader against this newcomer. And so they're really asking, John, is this right? Is this okay? Apparently they saw, some of them anyway, saw Jesus as some kind of a competitor to John, one who was gaining popularity at John's expense. And remember, Andrew and John immediately got up and followed Jesus when John had pointed them to Him. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But these followers of John seemed to have misunderstood the purpose of John's ministry. John was sent by God to announce the coming of Messiah. And you know what's interesting here? John did not share his disciples' concern over Jesus' new popularity. And this is the background to John's final testimony to his Lord. What follows is a discourse of the Baptist, his final testimony recorded by the apostle, and it's a stirring declaration of his faith in and his devotion to Jesus. It's an example for us, have no doubt. John's reply here must have been something that was much unanticipated by his disciples. Look at verse 27. He doesn't talk about baptism here. He says, speaking of a greater truth, He says to them, a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. Do we all know this? We have nothing apart from that which God gives us. He answered them not by addressing the matter of baptism, but He drew their attention to this greater truth, that everything we have are gifts of God. Do we understand this? Because He wanted them to understand God is not indebted to any of us. He's not under any obligation to any of us. John's ministry was given to him by God. It belonged to God. He belonged to God. We belong to God. And John understood, and he declared to his disciples that he was dependent on God for everything, and so were they. Paul understood this as well. No man, he said, could do anything unless it's given him by God. First Corinthians 4, 7, Paul asked, What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did not receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? It's a great reminder, isn't it? Everything we have, every breath we take, is a gift of God. And the purpose for the ministry which God had given to John was now being fulfilled in Christ, the one whom the Baptist had been appointing his followers. And look at verse 28, John there reminds his disciples, you're my witnesses that I said I'm not the Christ, but I've been sent ahead of him. This is a humble man, had a great following, great popularity throughout Judea. He says, no, this is the one you follow. He understood, he wasn't, not only was he subject to the power and the will of God, he knew he wasn't the one sent by God to save the world. And, you know, many thought he was. They were coming to him, are you the Christ? Are you Elijah? Are you the prophet? He was quick to deny it and to point people to the true Messiah. This is what we are to be doing. This is our calling as the church, to point people to Christ. This is the example John the Baptist has shown us. If we get nothing else out of this this morning, remember this. We should be satisfied with whatever place He's put us, with whatever rank He's given us, and to point people to Christ from where we are. He, John, was content with God's plan of salvation from heaven. He was obviously quite grateful for it. Here, the Messiah is here. That was enough for him. And by His words to His disciples, He's kind of rebuking them, isn't He? For having ignored what He'd said concerning Jesus. He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin. I'm not the Christ. I've just been sent before Him to prepare His way, to announce His coming, to announce His arrival in the world. So, instead of complaining about the success that Jesus was having, John's disciples should have rejoiced in the fact that the Baptist's mission was bearing its fruit. John then used an illustration. This is one that we see in the Old Testament. We see it in the New Testament, in the Gospels. We see it in Paul's writings. He says this, verse 29, he who has the bride is the bridegroom. That's Christ is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who John saw himself as, he stands and hears him and he rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase. I must decrease. We see no pride, no arrogance in this man. We see the humility that God desires in all of us. The fruit of the Spirit of God in him. All the Jews, including John, had for centuries been waiting for the Messiah whom God had promised. John's father, remember, Zacharias, thirty years before this had prophesied, before John was born, that John would go before the Messiah. before the Lord to prepare His way, to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, that He, John, would be called the prophet of the Most High. And surely John must have heard these things from someone, if not from his own parents. And God had now given John a sign by which he would recognize the Messiah. He would come to be baptized, the Messiah would. And when he was baptized, the Spirit of God would descend upon him in the form of a dove. And in this way, John would know that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God. What an amazing story. And now Messiah had come. And John recognized Him by this sign. He said to some of His disciples, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Some of His disciples got up and began to follow Jesus. And more began to follow Jesus. And John rejoiced with a joy of a loyal and devoted follower of Christ. John knew Jesus' arrival meant that his ministry and his popularity were going to end. He wasn't envious. He wasn't resentful. On the contrary, his joy was made full. Because Christ was being exalted. Because the Messiah had come. No, he wasn't the bridegroom. But the arrival of the bridegroom gave him great joy. He sets an important lesson here for ministers of the gospel. John Calvin, 500 years ago, wrote this. He sets an important lesson here for ministers of the gospel. Those who do not follow the example of John, but rather seek to draw God's people to themselves, as all the cult leaders do, rather than to Christ, are guilty of violating the blessed marriage relationship of Christ and His bride. Calvin goes on, it's a great sin for those whom God calls to be shepherds of His bride to seek to, in the name of Christ, raise up followers for themselves. And we see it everywhere today. That was 500 years ago. In our time, this culture of celebrity preachers made increasingly possible by the advent of modern communication systems over the past 75 years or so. Because it started with radio, and then TV, and of course now with the Internet, it's unstoppable. But this culture of celebrity preachers has become a greater and greater danger to the cause of Christ. Because men and women often seek to take from Christ what belongs to Him, to gain followers for themselves. Calvin again, to seek to draw the bride of Christ to oneself is adultery. Any minister who seeks his own acclaim seeks to obscure the glory of Christ. The only proper objective for any ministry is to bring people to become followers of Christ through the faithful preaching and sharing of the gospel. Amen. For John, faithful service in the ministry God had given him brought him great contentment. It brought him great joy. I'm serving the Lord. The Lord has sent his Messiah. And so the rising prominence of Jesus, though it upset some of his disciples, filled John himself with this joy. Because that was his mission. Show people that the Messiah had come. Let this be an example for us all. It is Christ whom we seek to exalt. Our calling is to bring people to Jesus Christ. John said, look at these words, He must increase, but I must decrease. This word must is really important here. He must become greater. I must become less. The word must reflects nothing less than the will and the eternal purpose of God. God and Christ had come to redeem His chosen people from their sins and from its penalty. That's what mattered. That's what still matters. And John had come to announce the arrival of the one in whom that redemption would be wrought. How could he not celebrate? But why wouldn't others? John wholeheartedly embraced the will and the plan of God. And John, he knew that Jesus was no ordinary man. We don't know all that God revealed to John, but look at how he speaks of Jesus in verse 31. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth, not the world, but the earth, is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. He understood that Jesus had come down from heaven. Remember, Adam was made from the earth. God formed him from the earth and then breathed life into him. And all of us are of the earth. Jesus came down from heaven. His existence did not begin at His conception in a virgin woman. His existence did not begin in Bethlehem. He is the eternal Son of God, and all other men are of earthly origin. And so He's above us all. He's above all things. So by these words, John is plainly speaking of the divinity of Jesus Christ. If somebody doesn't believe Jesus Christ is God, He is in grave danger of eternal fire. These words are the Baptist testimony recorded by the Apostle John that Jesus is God. He's not just some prophet. He's not just a good teacher. He's not just a moral man. He is God. To deny this truth is to deny that which is the foundation of the gospel and of our redemption. John says, those who are of the earth, which is all of us, can speak only of earthly things. But verse 34, he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. During the nearly 500 years prior to the birth of John, there'd been no word from God. They refer to them as the silent years. God sent no prophets into the world during that time. And then He sent John the Baptist to call people to repentance and to be baptized in water. But even John could only reveal those things that God had revealed to him. Though John had been sent by God, even he was limited in what he could reveal. This is why all of this worship of saints and Mary that other religions do is so heretical and so contrary to God's will. John testified God Himself had come down from heaven and He would teach them heavenly truths. What a glorious sentence. He alone, Christ, testifies to what he has seen and heard in the heavenly realm. This isn't the first time we've seen this in these first three chapters of John's Gospel. And John writes here that the Baptist says, what he has seen and heard of that he testifies. So what we hear and read concerning Jesus are not simply the words of men. These words originated in heaven. What Jesus brought to earth was divine truth, not just some good ideas for moral living. He brought divine truth concerning the condemnation that mankind had brought on itself because of its sin and concerning the salvation of sinners and the means of that salvation. Truth concerning the holiness and righteousness and justice of God. Truth concerning the love and mercy and grace of God. Jesus came as a witness of the truth to testify to the truth. And He alone could do this because He is the truth. He said so. And yet, the rest of verse 32, yet no one receives His testimony. We go back to those people who love the darkness. What was his testimony? Jesus told Nicodemus, one, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, he cannot enter the kingdom of God, he cannot know God. And He told him that all who do not believe in Him have already been condemned by their own unbelief. And Jesus told Nicodemus that belief in Him, expressed in an obedient life, is the one and only means of escape from eternal condemnation. And so he said, verse 33, he who has received his testimony, he has set his seal on this, that God is true, that his word is true. In the ancient world, they would take a seal of wax, heat up the wax, and set the seal on it, maybe stamp it with a ring. And this was a sign of agreement or approval to a contract or a set of facts. Those who receive Christ's testimony and believe in Him and repent of their sin, certify their belief in Him. It's receiving Him and believing Him. turning to Him, turning away from sin. That's the seal we place on the authority and truth of His Word. John the Baptist was one of those. He set his seal on the testimony of Jesus, on the truth revealed by God through Him. And the apostle John later wrote, 1 John 5, 10. You don't have to turn. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar. because he's not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. This is what we're reading is the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. In 1 John 5 11, and the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. It's by being joined, brought into a union with the risen, ascended and exalted Christ that one is made spiritually alive. Calvin again, we cannot offer him a greater insult than to not believe the gospel, for when we deny the truth of his word, we seek to deny him his glory and his majesty. And we call him, as John said, a liar. Verse 34, he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. By now this should be clear to us. For He gives the Spirit without measure. So all those, the prophets, including John, spoke words given them by God. But now, Hebrews chapter 1, He speaks to us, He has spoken to us in His Son. Now the Baptist and all the prophets of old were sent by God, empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Each received a measure of the Spirit that was required for the task God had given him. Remember John the Baptist in Luke 115, he himself was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was yet in his mother's womb. But yet, for John and all the rest of the prophets, their empowerment was limited to what was necessary to accomplish the work that God had assigned them. But now, in Christ, God Himself had come, clothed in this human flesh. In the incarnate Son, in His humanity, to Him God had given the Spirit without limit, in abundance. In Him, Colossians 2.9, in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. So Christ differs from us in that the Father poured out on Him, in His humanity, an unlimited abundance of His Spirit. The Baptist concluded his exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ with these words, verse 35 and 36, The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life. Why do you suppose the Gospels tell us this so many times? Why do you think Jesus said this so many times? Because this is the only way. This is what matters above everything else that will happen in your life. Do you believe in Him? That's what determines, ultimately, whether you live forever with God and glory or whether you suffer forever in hell for your sins. He took the punishment for the sins of all who would believe in Him. People in Judea, they just saw a man. But He was the eternal Son of God Himself. He'd taken on human flesh. But He'd been endowed, even in His humanity, with all authority. He's the one whom, after the fall of man, God declared He would send to destroy the work of the devil. Genesis 3.15 would destroy the devil. He was the one who was promised to Abram in Genesis 12.3, the seed in which all the families of the earth will be blessed. He was foreshadowed in the sacrifices that God had commanded of Israel and in the priesthood that God had established among them. He's the eternal King promised to David, 2 Samuel 7, 16. He's the one who brought and inaugurated the new covenant of Jeremiah 31. And He would be the one who would die on a cross and then be raised back to life on the third day. He's the one who ascended bodily back into heaven where He was and is seated at His Father's right hand where He rules and reigns over everything. Foolish men deny these truths, and they do so at their peril. Christ came to earth and declared the truth concerning the means, the only means of salvation from hell. And we all deserve hell. Let's not miss that. Our sin against God constitutes a gross rebellion against Him. And we can't atone for our sins ourselves. We require the Savior because we are not unblemished. Sacrifice for sins must be an unblemished, sinless sacrifice. On the cross, He accomplished that salvation for all who would believe in Him. And He said, all who do not believe have condemned themselves, are already condemned because they haven't believed. Don't be one of those who doesn't believe. If you're having trouble, cry out to Him. Ask Him to open your heart. He who believes in the Son has eternal life. But here, the contrast is not with he who does not believe, but rather with he who does not obey the Son. Because a lack of obedience to Son is a sign of a kind of faith that falls short. Maybe like those who were believing in Him because of His power. but not in their hearts. Scripture teaches us, folks, over and over again, that genuine saving faith is manifested in a person's repentance and obedience to Christ. We're not saved because of our repentance, but repentance and obedience to Christ are fruits of genuine saving faith, which is itself a gift of God. You want to know if your faith is a faith that saves? Take an honest look at your life. Do you love Jesus above all else? Is anything more important to you than Him and what He did for us? Is your life one of obedience to His commands? Are you serving Him? In what way are you serving Him? Our lives are the expression of what we really believe. There's no escaping it. We shouldn't pretend that the unbelieving around us, by the way, are okay. They're not. They're in grave danger. They are, in the words of Jonathan Edwards, dangling by a string over the fires of hell. If you're not truly believing, you are dangling over the fires of hell. If you're not living a life bearing the fruits of repentance, you're not necessarily okay. This is a matter of the greatest urgency. All who don't turn to Christ in faith, in genuine faith and repentance, are in grave danger of eternal punishment for your own sins. Take the punishment yourself or trust in what He did to take the punishment for you. And so like John, We who believe have a responsibility and a command from heaven to warn those who've not come to Christ, to tell them and show them by our lives that there's nothing more important in this life than believing in Him. Well, the Baptist's final testimonies ended here. We're not told how John's disciples responded to his words. Unanswered question about them leaves us with the same question, though, regarding ourselves. What are we doing in response to this testimony that John offers us here? I guess the question for all who read and hear this passage, do we see Christ as John saw Him? Do we exalt Christ as John did? Is He truly Lord of our lives? Well, each of us is going to have to answer that question for himself, but this man set us a wonderful example. He was the most popular man, perhaps, in all of Judea. And then Christ came and He said, I must decrease. And He celebrated. He celebrated because for John, this life is about exalting Christ. Well, let's take a moment, meditate on the Word that's been spoken to us this morning, and let us bow before the Savior. And if you're believing in Him and have surrendered your life to Him, we invite you to come to His table and take the supper with us. So let's examine ourselves. Is our faith a genuine saving faith? Do we have anything in us that is profaning the Word of Christ? And then we will come to His table. Father, thank You for this magnificent Word. Thank You for blessing us with the knowledge of You, for blessing us with Your Son, for blessing us with Your Spirit, for giving us this Word spoken by You, inspired by You, so that we may know You. Thank You that we have been called out of the world and into Your glorious presence. Thank You for the assurance that we have of an inheritance in glory with Your Son. In Christ's name, amen.