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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to John's Gospel. We're in John chapter 3 as we're 
moving our way through this wonderful book concerning our Lord Jesus 
Christ. This morning we'll be on verses 
22 to 30, but I do want to read the chapter to remind us of the 
context. So John chapter three, I'll begin 
reading in verse one. There was a man of the Pharisees 
named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus 
by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher 
come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless 
God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, 
most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can 
a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into 
his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, most assuredly 
I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot 
enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh 
is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not 
marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind 
blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot 
tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone 
who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to 
him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, 
are you the teacher of Israel and do not know these things? 
Most assuredly, I say to you, we speak what we know and testify 
what we have seen. And you do not receive our witness. 
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will 
you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to 
heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the son 
of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent 
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal 
life. For God so loved the world that 
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him 
should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His 
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world 
through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not 
condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, 
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten 
Son of God. And this is the condemnation, 
that the light has come into the world. And men love darkness 
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone 
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, 
lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes 
to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they 
have been done in God. 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 
Anon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they 
came and were baptized, for John had not yet been thrown into 
prison. Then there arose a dispute between 
some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. 
And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who is with 
you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he 
is baptizing and all are coming to him. 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. 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. He must increase, 
but I must decrease. 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. 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. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for this beautiful day. We thank you that 
your glory and majesty is displayed in the works of creation and 
providence. And as well, God, on the Lord's 
Day, we gather to celebrate that work of redemption, the reality 
that Christ Jesus came into this world, sinners, to save. As we 
consider this passage of Scripture this morning, we pray that Your 
Holy Spirit would guide and lead us, that He would direct us into 
all truth, that You would edify and strengthen each one of our 
hearts. And God, for any and all who have come here this morning 
that are still dead in their trespasses and sins, may Your 
Spirit come And may He cause sinners to be born again. And 
may they, by grace, look unto the Lord Jesus Christ in faith 
and have everlasting life. Forgive us all now for all of 
our sin and all transgression and everything that darkens our 
minds. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, 
here in John chapter three, we notice that Jesus is in his public 
ministry, and he's had dealings with Nicodemus. And essentially, 
Nicodemus comes to him not by, or by night, not because he's 
an actual inquirer seeking out information. Nicodemus ends well, 
according to John's gospel, but he doesn't begin well. He comes 
on behalf of the Sanhedrin. Jesus answers in verse seven 
in a plural form. Jesus knows that Nicodemus is 
not seeking out information. And rather, Jesus reproves Nicodemus 
because as the teacher of Israel, he should have known what Christ 
was emphasizing concerning the new birth. It is the reality 
that no one shall enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again. That's not new to John chapter 
3. Deuteronomy 10, Deuteronomy 30, 
the prophet Ezekiel and Ezekiel 36 and verses 25 to 27. I think 
that's the backdrop for Christ's rebuke of this man Nicodemus. So Jesus deals with Nicodemus 
here and engages in a discourse concerning God's salvation. So 
we have finished that particular section and now we come to the 
final testimony of John the Baptist with reference to our Lord. As 
you may recall, when we look at verses 16 to 21, we noted, 
or I observed, that verses 16 to 21, some commentators take 
as a commentary by John the Apostle. Remember, the Greek manuscripts 
didn't have punctuation marks, they certainly didn't have red 
letters, so this is an interpretative call that my translation, the 
New King James, is ascribing to Jesus. I preached it that 
way. But when we come to this section in verses 22 to 36, I 
think John's testimony is verses 22 to 30, and then verses 31 
to 36 is the commentary of John the Apostle. So I think the last 
recorded words of the Baptist in this particular gospel narrative 
is what we find in verse 30. Christ must increase, but I must 
decrease. I think that is a wonderful celebration 
of John's appreciation for the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's jump 
into verses 22 to 30. Two considerations. First, there 
is a dispute concerning baptism in verses 22 to 26. And then 
secondly, the testimony concerning the bridegroom in verses 27 to 
30. So essentially, there's some tension in the passage. And these 
disciples complained to John, and John resolves it by highlighting 
John's appreciation for our Lord Jesus. But let's notice first 
the dispute concerning baptism in verses 22 to 26. So in verses 
22 to 24, we have the activity of Jesus, and then we have the 
activity of John and his disciples. Notice the Lord and his disciples 
in verse 22. After these things, Jesus and 
his disciples came into the land of Judea. Now Jerusalem is in 
the land of Judea, and Jesus has been in Jerusalem. He cleanses 
the temple, he prophesies concerning the destruction of the temple, 
and then he meets with this man Nicodemus. So some have posited 
that after he talked to Nicodemus, he returned to Galilee and now 
he comes back to Judea. I don't think we need to emphasize 
or make that the emphasis of the passage. When it says the 
land of Judea, most likely more out in the wilderness. not Jerusalem 
specifically or properly, but rather in the outskirts, out 
in the wilderness part of Judea. And then notice specifically 
that Jesus is with his disciples and it says that they baptized. 
Now, if you look at chapter four, verse two, it gives us additional 
commentary. Notice in four one, therefore, 
when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and 
baptized more disciples than John, Though Jesus himself did 
not baptize, but his disciples. He oversaw it. He was the supervisor 
of it. Though he didn't actually dunk 
the people into the water, he nevertheless was the one that 
was authoritative in the baptism of these persons. then notice 
that it refers to John the Baptist and his disciples, and John the 
Baptist likewise is baptizing. Imagine that, that John the Baptist 
would be occupied with baptizing. That is precisely one of the 
reasons for which God sent him. Now notice in verse 23, now John 
also was baptizing in Anon near Salim because there was much 
water there, and they came and were baptized. Now those of you 
who come to our church regularly know that I use commentaries 
in sermon preparation. I use commentaries by men named 
John. And one of those particular Johns 
makes this observation concerning this statement. He says, from 
these words we may infer that John and Christ administered 
baptism by plunging the whole body beneath the water. Now which 
John do you think that would be? I think most of us would 
say John Gill because he was a Baptist. And certainly John 
Gill would take the opportunity to illustrate that baptism by 
immersion was the New Testament practice. But intriguingly, it's 
a different John. In this instance, it's John Calvin. So John Calvin says, from these 
words, we may infer that John and Christ administered baptism 
by plunging the whole body beneath the water. Amen. Brother, that's 
exactly what we maintain as Baptists. Now, unfortunately, he goes on 
to say, though we ought not to give ourselves any great uneasiness 
about the outward right, provided that it agree with the spiritual 
truth and with the Lord's appointment and rule. Now, I ask the question, 
why not? John Calvin is noted as a stickler 
with reference to the regulative principle of worship. Certainly, 
when the mode is addressed in Scripture, we see that the word 
baptism, immersion, carries with it the understanding of how we 
engage in the ordinance or the sacrament of baptism. But anyways, 
back to verse 23, my little Baptist tirade, and my attempt to sort 
of give you some cause to reflect upon a paedo-baptist by the name 
of John Calvin, who saw that plunging was the way that they 
did it. But then notice the statement 
in verse 24 that John had not yet been thrown into prison. 
Now Matthew, Mark, and Luke record this for us. Specifically in 
Matthew 14, we know that John is in prison, and we know that 
Herod has him executed at the behest of his godless wife. But 
even before that, in Matthew chapter 4, when Jesus embarks 
on his public ministry, there is a statement that John is in 
prison. I think I mentioned to you that 
the synoptics don't see an early Judean ministry of our Lord. 
We see it confirmed here. Before Jesus goes to Galilee 
in terms of his public ministry, John the Apostle records for 
us that he had an early Judean ministry prior to the imprisonment 
of John the Baptist. And we see that from this particular 
vantage point. Now notice this dispute over 
purification in verse 26. We don't know why, and in fact 
we don't know if there were a handful of Jews or if there was one Jew. 
The textual tradition on the one hand indicates there is a 
plurality of Jews, another says just one Jew. But notice in verse 
25. Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples 
and the Jews, or a Jew, about purification. Again, we don't 
know what they were talking about. We don't know the nature of the 
discourse, but I think that we can surmise that John's disciples 
were pretty fired up. In other words, they were ready 
to throw down. They not only have this dispute with these 
Jews concerning purification, but now on the heels of that, 
they address John concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's 
look at what they say and let's look at how John answers this 
particular complaint. Notice they don't even name Christ, 
which is intriguing, because prior they would have been with 
John the Baptist when John the Baptist made much of Christ. 
That's the whole purpose for which John came, and that's what 
John's going to underscore further in his response to them. It's 
not John the Baptist that redemptive history is pointing forward to. 
It wasn't the prophets prophesying concerning John the Baptist as 
the focus of God's redemptive plan. The Baptist disciples here 
evidence something of a party spirit, and notice how they express 
themselves in verse 26. They came to John and said to 
him, Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, again, not 
Jesus, not the one that you identified as the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world, but rather they refer to Him as this 
sort of innocuous He. He who was with you beyond the 
Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all 
are coming to Him. So they say that he is baptizing. Think about it from their vantage 
point. The one that you baptized has now undertaken for himself 
to baptize others. Also, they go one step further, 
that he not only is baptizing, but all are coming to him. What is their fear potentially? 
That if all come to the Lord Jesus Christ, then none will 
come to John the Baptist. They have, as I said, a party 
spirit. John Calvin again says, the expression 
which they use, all men are come to Christ, is the language of 
envious persons. They have envy in their heart. 
It's not good that all of them come to Jesus, because if they 
all come to Jesus, they're not going to come to you, rabbi. 
He goes on to say, "...and proceeds from a sinful ambition, for they 
are afraid that the crowd will immediately forsake their master." 
Again, in their minds, this is a big deal. And so it really 
sets the stage for how John answers this particular charge. Ryle 
says, a humbling example of the petty jealousies and party spirit 
which may exist among professors of religion. The spirit exhibited 
in this complaint is unhappily too common in the churches of 
Christ. The succession of these complainers 
has never failed. There are never-wanting religious 
professors who care far more for the increase of their own 
party than for the increase of true Christianity, and who cannot 
rejoice in the spread of religion if it spreads anywhere except 
within their own pale. Ryle's right. There is this party 
spirit that has attached itself to the churches of Jesus Christ. 
Now brethren, we certainly have a confession of faith. We have 
the London Baptist, the Second London Confession of Faith of 
1677-89. We have an identifiable body of Christian doctrine that 
we subscribe. But the argument is not everyone 
who doesn't subscribe is on their way to hell. No, when it comes 
to church life, when it comes to interaction at the level of 
fellowship, when it comes to the level of engaging in the 
public worship of God Most High, we think it's helpful to have 
a body of doctrine that we most surely believe. So it's not exclusive, 
it's not sort of introverted, but rather it's simply definitional. But that's a far cry different 
from having this nitpicking, fault-finding mentality that 
goes around and tries to unchurch the people of God wherever they're 
found. If this church isn't somebody's cup of tea, that's fine. That's 
perfectly acceptable. Praise God for the division of 
labor. Praise God that you have Dutch reform. Praise God that 
you've got Presbyterianism. Praise God that you've got all 
stripes of Baptist. Praise God for that because as 
we know, membership in churches is commanded, but the church 
that you want to be members of, that's up to you based on your 
conscience informed by the word of the living God. So yeah, theological 
debate is great. We ought not to be such delicate 
snowflakes. We can never interchange one 
with another on things we disagree with. I know there are some committed 
to Paedo-Baptist in here right now. And I hope you know I wasn't 
trying to insult you with John Calvin's statement concerning 
the plunging of sinners in terms of baptism. There's no attempt 
to insult. There's no attempt to disenfranchise. There is every attempt, however, 
to understand that salvation is by grace alone, through faith 
alone, in Christ Jesus alone. It's all about the gospel. It's 
all about the sending of the Son of His love. It's all about 
Galatians 4. In the fullness of the time, 
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 
to redeem those under the law. In other words, Christ came to 
live in obedience to the law of God Most High. He came to 
die as a sacrifice, not an example, not simply an illustration of 
His love, but rather He is, in fact, a bleeding, crucified Savior 
who is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. He's 
the reason for the Old Covenant typological sacrificial system. So that when the Baptist sets 
eyes on him in 129 and he says, behold the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world, the Baptist knows precisely what 
really matters. So there may be differences among 
us in terms of Christian doctrine. There can't be at the level of, 
or at the point of, salvation by grace through faith in Christ 
Jesus. That is absolutely crucial. As 
well, the nature of our triune God. You deny the Trinity, you 
deny the Bible. You deny the Father, Son, and 
the Spirit, you don't have the true and living God. So those 
are non-negotiables to be sure. There's a lot of other issues 
that we may divide over, we may rather disagree over, but it 
ought not to divide us into party spirit where we oftentimes condemn 
the work of God that is actual, though it doesn't follow our 
particular narrow perception. We need to make sure we're large 
hearted. We need to make sure that we 
are charitable. We need to make sure that we 
don't imbibe a party spirit. And brethren, as one who knows 
how difficult it is, we need to pray for God's grace and for 
the spirit of wisdom to be upon us so that we maintain that genuine 
biblical catholicity. Now notice the testimony concerning 
the bridegroom. How does John respond to this? 
They're terrified. They're fearful. All are coming 
to him. And if all are coming to him, 
Master, then none are going to come to you. John answers with 
four statements. In the first place, he underscores 
the origin of his ministry. Some apply this to Jesus. I don't 
think they're right. I think that John is showing 
his position relative to our Lord Jesus. So verse 27 is a 
reference to John himself. Notice, John answered and said, 
a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from 
heaven. What's he understanding? Well, 
something we've already seen in the prologue in John 1. John 
1 verse 6, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. John understands the sovereignty 
of God. John understands the sovereignty 
of God not only at the level of God's having sent him for 
a particular mission with reference to the announcement of Jesus 
Christ, but he also understands the sovereignty of God in terms 
of the success of one's ministry. Remember, they're fearful. All 
are coming to him. That's not John's concern. John isn't about gathering up 
disciples for himself. John is rather about deflecting 
those disciples and directing them to the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. So John gives cause to his disciples 
to pause for a moment. This is of God. This is according 
to His sovereignty. This is about the one who Paul 
will later write, for what makes you differ from another? And 
what do you have that you did not receive? Now, if you did 
indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received 
it? In other words, Paul to the Corinthians 
says the same thing. God is sovereign. You know, when 
it came to the prophet Isaiah, he's kind of one of the more 
disappointing prophets in the Old Testament in terms of success, 
right? In fact, God announced at His 
call that you're not going to have success. They're gonna hear, 
but they're not gonna believe. Their hearts are gonna be dull. 
There's gonna be a spirit of stupor that overtakes that. So 
at the call to his prophetic ministry, when the prophet raises 
his hand and says, here am I, send me, Lord. The Lord says, 
okay, but don't expect great success. Don't expect the multitudes 
coming to me. Don't expect a massive revival 
in terms of national Israel and repentance and faith toward Yahweh. 
Don't expect that. And the prophet was okay with 
that. See, what happens with men in ministries at times is 
that it becomes a numbers game. Now, there's a sense in which 
we could be concerned with numbers. Numbers are humans, right? Numbers 
are actually living souls. We should want them to be saved. 
We should want them to come to a saving knowledge of Christ, 
come out of darkness into marvelous light to proclaim his excellencies. 
But there's another sense where this preoccupation with numbers 
is to disregard the sovereignty of God. Right? Again, if a man 
is faithful, if he is preaching the word of God, if he is doing 
so by the aid of the power of the Holy Spirit, then he leaves 
the results to God. He's not preoccupied with that. 
He's not obsessed with that. He doesn't tweet every day. We 
had 15 more decisions for Jesus. We had 18 more baptisms for Jesus. Again, not that we shouldn't 
praise Jesus for the genuine work of Jesus, but so often it 
comes across as almost a numbers game. Almost a business report, 
almost a justification of a man's celebrity status. John the Baptist, 
he ain't about that. The Apostle Paul will also underscore 
something concerning God's sovereignty. He says, so then neither he who 
plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the 
increase. So with reference to this first 
statement in verse 27, John understands God's sovereignty. John is okay 
with God's sovereignty, and as a result, he doesn't share the 
concern of his followers, wherein they fear that all are going 
to come to Jesus, and they will not have any regard for you. 
J.C. Ryle says that the first thing 
Jesus does is highlight the principle that acceptance with man is a 
special gift of God, and that we must therefore not presume 
to find fault when others have more acceptance than ourselves. 
Oh, it's, oh, woe is me. You know, our church is small. 
They ought not to occupy the minister. Faithfulness. Isn't this Paul's point in 1 
Corinthians 4? Moreover, it is required of stewards 
that they be found, what? Successful? Celebrity? No, that they be found faithful. See brethren, if there was a 
sense where we could talk to every single man in every single 
church all throughout Canada and to the uttermost parts of 
the earth, the message will never change. Paul calls you to be 
faithful. Paul calls you to be persevering. Paul calls you to be diligent 
in the task at hand and leave the results or the lack thereof 
up to God. And you know, brethren, it's 
not an airtight proposition. What happened to Jonah? Jonah 
was a successful prophet and he was upset about that. Right? 
When God explained or expressed mercy to that God-hating city 
of Nineveh, it frustrated Jonah. Probably a bit of nationalism 
and pride in his heart. He wasn't thrilled that God was 
going to display that kind of mercy. And so Jonah cops an attitude 
with Yahweh at the end of Jonah chapter 4. And we have that exchange 
between God and Jonah, and God ends the book with that question, 
should I not pity Nineveh? You've pitied a gourd. You've 
pitied a plant. You've pitied a created object 
that doesn't bear the image of God. You've pitied this particular 
thing that brought relief to your hot head. I wonder if that 
was twofold in terms of its application. But you don't pity this great 
nation of sinners that is filled to the brim with sinners. Now 
notice John's second answer, verse 29. He highlights the purpose 
of his ministry. I'm sorry, verse 28. He says, 
you yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, 
but I have been sent before him. Go back to chapter one. Again, 
after the prologue, we have the testimony or the ministry of 
John the Baptist recorded for us. Notice in John 1.20, he confessed 
and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And then 
dropping down, notice at verses 26 to 34, John answered them 
saying, I baptize with water, but there stands one among you, 
whom you do not know. It is he who, coming after me, 
is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy 
to loose. These things were done in Bethabara, 
beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing." So he testifies 
concerning the Savior, concerning the Messiah in verse 29. highlighting 
specifically the function involved in the salvation of sinners. 
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He 
then concentrates on the baptism of our Lord Jesus and he summarizes 
his testimony in verse 34. And I have seen and testified 
that this is the Son of God. So in the first respect, John 
understands the sovereignty of God in terms of the origin of 
his ministry. But in verse 28, he understands the purpose for 
his ministry. I'm not the Christ. I'm not the 
one that people should follow. See, he didn't have that in him 
where, you know, yeah, it's good that, you know, Jesus gets ten 
followers, but, you know, send two or three my way also. No, 
that's not what John does. John deflects this. John's not 
interested in this. John's whole purpose is to announce 
the coming of the Son of God. And that's what he does in accordance 
with the prophet Isaiah, chapter 40 at verse 3. That's why John 
the Apostle in chapter 1 does quote it and applies it to the 
Baptist. So the Baptist was a forerunner, 
an announcer. One who heralded the coming of 
the King. You see that in Isaiah 40 verse 
3, Malachi 3 verse 1, Malachi 4 verse 5. And then that interesting 
situation in Matthew's gospel in chapter 17 at the Mount of 
Transfiguration. They had seen what Malachi had 
written of in his prophecy concerning the glory of the Messiah. But 
according to Malachi's prophecy, there would be a message that 
came first to herald his arrival. So at that Mount of Transfiguration, 
they're perplexed. They say to Jesus, we've seen 
your glory, but doesn't the prophet say that there must first be 
an Elijah to announce your coming? And that's when Jesus says, that's 
John the Baptist. His role was preparatory. His role was one of announcing. 
His role was as a forerunner, and so in the second aspect of 
his declaration to them, he understood that he was not the Messiah. 
As a result of that, men shouldn't follow him. See, this is the 
problem with celebrity pastors, celebrity preachers. This idea 
where men have coffee cups with their faces on them, or shirts 
that say, pastor so-and-so is my homeboy. Brethren, people 
are given to pride. Why in the world would we facilitate 
that? One man in the history of the 
church had somebody come up to him after a sermon and say, that 
was a wonderful sermon, it was so excellent, and he mused to 
himself saying, yes, the devil already told me that. Now there's 
a sense, brethren, where it's not wrong to tell a pastor that 
you've been helpful or whatever, but why do we want to Help a 
guy be proud and arrogant, or should I say more proud and more 
arrogant than our default setting. This obsession with celebrity 
is not good with reference to the church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Christ was a man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief. John the Baptist dwelt out in 
the wilderness. He didn't eat the sumptuous fare, 
but rather he was eating locusts and honey. He was not a man that 
was craving after celebrity. He understood that he was not 
the object of faith, that was Messiah's prerogative, and so 
he functioned to point sinners to that object of faith in verse 
29 of chapter 1. Behold the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world, and that's why he was there. Now 
notice thirdly, with reference to John's response. You see how 
he's methodically dealing with their issue of verse 26? If all 
are coming to Him, then none are coming to you. Their complaint, 
verse 26, is the very purpose for which God made John. What 
they complain about is actually being fulfilled in and through 
the ministry of John the Baptist. But notice the joy connected 
to his ministry. Verse 29, he says, he who has 
the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, 
this would be like a best man. Typically when people get married, 
they have a best man or they have a maid of honor. And I think 
it's supposed to function in a very practical way, logistically. The best man is supposed to do 
things to help the bridegroom. the groom. The maid of honor 
is supposed to do things to try to help the bride prepare for 
the wedding. Well, the friend of the bridegroom 
in this setting sort of took on both responsibilities, and 
he had a lot to deal with in terms of orchestrating that wonderful 
fairy tale day that everybody would remember for many, many 
years to come. So the friend of the bridegroom 
is how John sees himself. Who's the bridegroom? It's the 
Lord Jesus Christ. We made that application in the 
changing of the water into wine at the wedding of Cana of Galilee. 
The idea there is consistent with John 1, 17. For the law 
was given by Moses or through Moses, but grace and truth came 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we see that new wine brought 
by the Redeemer in this new covenant setting. And this evokes a great 
deal of Old Testament sort of a backdrop and background. God was the groom to Israel. You see that in the prophet Isaiah. 
There's a whole book about it called the Song of Solomon. I 
know that preachers today like to take that and sort of bring 
it into the context of the conjugal relationship of husbands and 
wives. No, it's better to be understood 
as God and His bride. Specifically, prophetically concerning 
the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride vis-a-vis the church. Hosea 
chapter 2, God responds to the nation of Israel that He will 
betroth them. So this is a rich image that 
the Bible presents to us and we see that Christ is the bridegroom 
in this particular situation. Now notice what John says. He 
who has the bride is the bridegroom. The church, of course, being 
the bride, but the friend of the bridegroom, notice, who stands 
and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. 
Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled. Do you hear what the 
disciples are saying? The disciples are coming to the 
best man at the wedding, and they're suggesting, you need 
to get up in there. You need to get some of the attention 
at this wedding. Well, that's unthinkable. That's 
unconscionable. I know that when you dear ladies 
get ready for a wedding, you wanna make sure you're not gonna 
steal the bride's thunder, right? It's all about the bride and 
the groom. It's all about that one and his 
beloved. And so this concept where the 
disciples are suggesting that he's going to take from you privilege, 
position, perhaps prestige, John says, no, all I want is to stand 
near him. Think about what the Baptist 
is saying here. It's sort of, again, evokes the Psalter. I 
would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell 
in the tents of wickedness, right? I'd rather just sweep the floors 
in the new Jerusalem than rule in hell. I'd rather just barely 
fall in because of God's grace and be given a broom and be tasked 
with sweeping those golden roads and the pearly gates and the 
whole spiel that John sets forth in John 20 and 21 than dwell 
among the wicked. John is content to stand in his 
presence. And John is content to hear his 
voice. As far as John is concerned, 
everything has come to realization in the coming of the Son of Man. 
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is here. 
And notice how he ends verse 29. He says, therefore, this 
joy of mine is fulfilled. You men think I'm gonna be happy 
with more followers? You men think I'm gonna be happy 
taking away from the bridegroom? You men think that I'm gonna 
be the center stage at this wedding feast? He says, no, I just wanna 
stand in his presence. I wanna hear his voice. And in 
that context, my joy is fulfilled. It's like Simeon in that song 
of Simeon, when Simeon grabs the babe Christ as Joseph and 
Mary bring him into the temple to be circumcised on the eighth 
day. What does Simeon do? Simeon grabs the baby. Talk about 
bold faith. Brethren, I have never gone up 
to any of your wives and taken the babies out of their arms. 
They might deck me, they might punch me in the mouth. Think 
about Simeon's faith. He sees the Lord's Christ. He 
takes the babe from her hands. He cradles him in his arms and 
he says, my eyes have seen your salvation. He's ready to depart. He's ready to go. His ministry 
has been fulfilled. Everything has come to fruition 
and realization and Simeon rejoices in God's Christ. That's the mindset. That's the attitude of John the 
Baptist here. He's not the best man that wants 
to come and stand at the feast and get all of the accolades 
for himself. No, John is simply content to 
be standing in his presence and to be able to hear the voice 
of the bridegroom. Again, the Old Testament background, 
John knew this. Cyril of Alexandria makes this 
statement. He's personifying John the Baptist. He says, after all, he who has 
the bride is the bridegroom. That is, do not seek in me the 
crown of the bridegroom. He says, the psalmist is not 
dancing for me when he says, listen, daughter, see and incline 
your ear. Forget your people and your father's 
house because the king has desired your beauty. Our brother Steve 
read that Psalm at the outset of worship. It is Psalm 45, it 
is a wedding song. And at one point the church is 
addressed, the church is invited, the church is called upon to 
commune with her King, with her bridegroom. Cyril again, personifying 
the Baptist says, he's not talking about me. David under the inspiration 
of the Spirit, when he writes this song of love in Psalm 45, 
the focus was not John the Baptist. Cyril goes on, the bride is not 
seeking my bedroom when she says, tell me, the one whom my soul 
loves, where you pasture and where you make your flocks lie 
down at noon. That's Song of Solomon 1.7. He 
ends by saying, she has the bridegroom from heaven. So the disciples 
of John had missed this. The disciples of John said, no, 
they're all coming to you. And if they are all coming to 
him and if they all come to him, then they're not going to come 
to you. John says, it's in that that my joy is fulfilled. It's 
in that that I am delighted. He was content to stand in here. 
He didn't need to be the center stage. He didn't need the accolades. He didn't need the attention. 
He wasn't somehow, you know, desperate, seeking affirmation 
by the hordes around him. No, that's not it at all. It 
wasn't some, you know, chump that simply wanted people to 
follow him. No, he's about pointing sinners 
to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now then, notice how 
he ends. The priority in John's ministry, 
verse 30. He must increase, but I must 
decrease. So again, they're complaining, 
and what does he say? This is the purpose. This is 
the focus. This is what it's about. This 
is the scope of the whole, as it were. God's salvation in Christ 
Jesus. And if we're paying attention, 
what John the Baptist says here in 3.30 summarizes what we've 
already seen up to this point. Go back to John 1.17. I cited 
it earlier. It bears repetition. Well, verse 
16, "...and of His fullness we have all received, and grace 
for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and 
truth came through Jesus Christ." Doesn't mean there was no grace 
and truth at the time of Moses. Doesn't mean there's no law at 
the time of Jesus. It just means, when you look 
at the Old Covenant, the primary feature is law. Again, not that 
there's no grace, not that there's no loving kindness. Come on a 
Wednesday night sometime as we study the Old Testament, you 
will see a very patient, a very gracious, and a very loving God 
displaying those perfections to a recalcitrant, incorrigible 
people called Israel. So it's not that there is no 
grace in the time of Moses. It's not that there's no law 
at the time of Jesus. But in terms of covenant, you 
think of old covenant, typically you think of law. You think a 
new covenant, typically you think of grace. And again, that is 
just bringing it down to its bare bones essence. But then 
notice as well, John chapter 2, verses 1 to 12. Again, the 
emphasis in the passage, and I made this observation then, 
is that the bridegroom at the feast is representative of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Again, it's a nature miracle. 
The Lord Jesus takes water and He makes it into fine wine, really 
good wine, excellent wine, such that the master of the feast 
is able to come to the bridegroom and say, Oh man, every time everybody 
has a wedding, they serve the best wine. Once everybody's pretty 
well lubricated, then they bring out the swill. He says, you've 
done it just the opposite way. You've given us the best. Again, 
the spiritual observation, and it's not Jim Butler making this 
up. There is a stream of interpretation 
that jettisons this point, that it's Christ bringing that new 
wine of new covenant blessing to fulfillment and to fruition. 
And then notice in verses 13 and following, he goes in to 
cleanse the temple. Why? Because it was bad. It was in bad shape. It was messed 
up. They were prostituting the very 
worship of God Almighty. And on the heels of the cleansing 
of the temple, Jesus announces, destroy this temple, and in three 
days I will raise it up. That caused them perplexity. 
What do you mean? It took us 46 years. to build 
this temple. You're gonna tear it down and 
raise it up in three days? The apostle John, the theologian, 
tells us he was speaking of the temple of his body. So what we 
have in Christ is fulfillment. What we have in Christ is realization. What we have in Christ is that 
the new covenant and its verities and blessings must increase. We must have more of that power 
of the Spirit upon us now. John doesn't say, I want to elevate 
my role. I want to continue to announce. 
I want to continue to foreshadow. I want to continue to forerun. 
No, Jesus is here. Jesus is present. And while Jesus 
is present, here on and going forward, he must increase and 
I must decrease." It is a most blessed response that the Baptist 
gives to his disciples that were concerned perhaps about his delicate 
psyche and not having all of the same followers because now 
they're going after the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a most excellent 
response to a party spirit. And I would hope and pray that 
those men saw it. And those men too went and were 
baptized by Jesus and his disciples such that they would follow him 
and him alone. Now, in conclusion, I don't want 
to moralize the passage, but I'm going to moralize the passage. 
Moralizing is bad. It takes redemptive history and 
you get five lessons. Moralization is seen in the Valley 
of Elah in 1 Samuel 17. What are the giants that you 
need to deal with in your own life? What are the giants that 
you need to vanquish when it comes to your own life? Let's 
go see David in the Valley of Elah and he'll teach us about 
slaying our giants. That's not the purpose of the 
Valley of Elah in 1 Samuel 17. It's that Israel and that all 
the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. That's the 
point of 1 Samuel 17. Now, John's purpose is to magnify 
Christ. John's purpose is to point people 
to Jesus. John's purpose in John 1.29, 
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you 
are a sinner and you have not come to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
you have not believed in Him, you have not tasted and seen 
that the Lord is good, listen to the Baptist. Behold the Lamb 
of God, who does what? He takes away the sin of the 
world. So you've got bigger problems today than the pandemic. You've 
got bigger problems today than the government. You've got bigger 
problems today than your empty bank account. You've got bigger 
problems than any broken relationships that you may have horizontally. 
If you are in your sin, your problem is with a just and a 
holy God. The Westminster Catechism asks 
the question, what does every sin deserve? Every sin deserves 
God's wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to 
come. Listen to John the Apostle in 336. He who believes the Son 
has everlasting life, but he who does not believe the Son, 
what? He doesn't have life, but the wrath of God abides on him. 
So listen to the Baptist. If you're not saved, get to Christ, 
believe on Christ. And then Jesus, moving forward, 
the particular emphasis points to that serpent in the wilderness. 
In John 3.14, with Nicodemus, he says, just as Moses lifted 
that serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted 
up. What was the point in the lifting up of the serpent in 
the wilderness? Numbers 21, the people of God, or the professing 
people of God, the nation of Israel, were whining and grumbling 
against Yahweh. All of his provision, all of 
his kindness, all of his mercy, all of his grace, and how do 
they respond to him? But by whining and murmuring. So he sends these 
fiery serpents and they get bitten. And then he gives the instruction 
of Moses, make a brazen serpent, put it on a pole, lift it up 
in the wilderness, and when those people look, they'll live. It's 
the most beautiful and sublime thing. He doesn't say crawl on 
over there, kiss the pole, worship the pole. No, you look and you 
live. Well, just as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son 
of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, 
but have eternal life. John 3.15. So if you are not 
a believer, listen to the Baptist. His words ring true today just 
like they did then. There is one Lamb of God. There 
is one means by which sin is taken away. It is blood atonement 
wrought by that Lamb of God when He lived for us, when He died 
for us, and when He was raised again for us. Look to him in 
faith, believe the gospel, and the promise of God's word is, 
you shall be saved. So John has a message for unbelievers, 
but John also has a message for believers, and it is to value, 
to prize, and to supremely adore the Lord Jesus. Because in the 
language of the Song of Solomon, Christ is altogether lovely. 
Christ is the chief among 10,000. Not John, not the Baptist, not 
a missionary, not a minister, but rather the only begotten 
Son of God Almighty. So John, as we read through this 
passage, would certainly want us to make much of the Savior 
that he himself proclaimed. But however, and however, I want 
to see how John deals with that perennial problem of pride, that 
perennial problem of a lack of humility among God's people. 
So let's look first at the humility of John the Baptist. Notice in 
the first place, his understanding of God's sovereignty is the basis 
for his humility. It typically works just the opposite 
for a lot of us, right? When we understand God's sovereignty, 
when we embrace the doctrines of grace, when we confess the 
Reformed faith, does it usually humble us? No, it makes us proud 
and arrogant and those kinds of people that are obnoxious 
on Facebook. That's not good, brethren. A 
proper understanding of God's sovereignty should be the basis 
for our humility. Notice, secondly, His acceptance 
of His God-given role is the context of His humility. Verse 28, I'm not the Christ. I was rather sent by God in order 
to prepare the way for the Christ. In other words, thrive where 
you have been planted. Do what God has called you to 
do, and don't complain that He hasn't called you to do other 
things. There is such a discontentedness among the people of God. Well, 
if I had this wife, if I had this husband, if I had this thing, 
If I had more money, if I had, no, no, God is sovereign. He 
has put you where you're at and you need to thrive and flourish 
in that capacity. Third, his joy as the friend 
of the bridegroom is the demonstration of his humility. See verse 29, 
John's not saying, oh, I know it really bums me out. It's really 
bad. I got, I got dealt a bad hand. 
You know, my job was to, to announce his coming and I tried to be 
faithful in doing that. And now that he's come, there's 
no more attention for me. That's not how he, that's not 
how he functions. He says, I'm just happy to stand in his presence. 
I'm just happy to hear his voice. I'm just happy to have seen the 
coming of the son of man in order to save his people from their 
sins. What a blessed job John had and what joy it brought to 
his heart in having completed it. And his priority regarding 
the increase of Christ is the natural result of his humility, 
right? See, proud people don't say what 
John says here. He must increase, but I must 
decrease. Proud people say, It's okay if 
he increases, but I have to increase a bit too. But that's not what 
John says. John doesn't say he must increase 
and I must stay the same. He must increase and I must increase 
just a tad bit. No, he must increase and I must 
decrease. You need to forget about the 
Baptist, you need to be preoccupied with the Savior, you need to 
see Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, 
and you need to be content to stand in His presence and to 
hear His voice, and in that your joy will be fulfilled. John is 
a wonderful example to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, 
as we apply this to ministers, Now, there are persons that have 
aspirations for ministry. We ought to encourage them. We 
ought to pray for them. We are presently in the midst 
of a church plant situation in Vernon, God willing, in Northern 
Ontario. We've got the situation in Honduras 
that we rejoice in. Not really our church plant, 
but we're certainly happy to be a part of their church fellowship 
and the context of their camaraderie with the other people of God. 
And of course, the work in Surrey. And then brethren, if you haven't 
noticed, there's a lot of pastors and a lot of churches all over 
the earth. And the one thing that all of 
us as pastors or men who aspire to gospel ministry must pursue 
is this kind of a mindset. Notice, we are not called to 
greatness, but to faithfulness. That's it. That's it. Oh wow, your church is tiny after 
24 years. That's God's business. That's 
God's work. I've heard of men being warned 
off from planting churches where if you didn't have 100 or 150 
extra people by the end of the first year, just forget it. Really? Whose metric is that? Who came 
up with that? Is Wall Street defining how we 
operate in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ? If a man is 
faithful, he's preaching the truth, he's seeking to minister 
to the saints of Christ, shouldn't he keep going? Shouldn't he keep 
doing what he's supposed to do? Why is it that if there's not 
this many, then stop? It's not about greatness, it's 
about faithfulness. We are to engage in a ministry 
marked by joy. I'm preaching to at least one 
specific pastor here. I know that most of you know 
that you can read me like a book. I can come in here and people 
say, what's the matter? I don't hide it well. One of 
the things that oftentimes I need to encourage myself with is the 
joy associated with gospel ministry. There's a lot of non-joy. I don't 
want to just let you know a little secret. There's a lot of non-joy 
associated with gospel ministry as well, but there's a lot of 
joy standing in the presence of the bridegroom and hearing 
his voice. That is thrilling. That is encouraging. That is stabilizing. That is 
blessed. And as well, with reference to 
ministers of the gospel, above all, they are to make much of 
Jesus Christ. That's the job, right? That's 
the issue. Go to John 12. John chapter 12. This particular statement found 
its way to many a Reformed pulpit. A little placard or a little 
saying fastened to the pulpit. Notice in John 12, 20. Now there 
were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the 
feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, 
and asked him, saying, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. See why older 
men that were preaching the gospel, by older I mean, you know, a 
few hundred years ago, would have that on their pulpits? It 
was in order to remind them of the job. It's not to preach you. It's not to talk about you. It's 
not to talk about, you know, once in a while, a bit of autobiography 
can illustrate a point. But we know nothing, nothing 
about Elijah the Tishbite, except that he just shows up at the 
behest of Yahweh to deal with the Ahab problem. We know he's 
a Tishbite, but we don't know if there's a Mrs. Elijah. We 
don't know if there's a few baby Elijahs. We don't know if he's 
a goat herder. I mean, some of those particular 
apostles give us a bit of information. Amos, for instance, he was a 
sheep breeder. There is a bit of detail here and there. I've 
heard some preachers, brethren, I know more about their lives 
than I've ever heard them explain from the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. When the people of God come to 
church, they want to see Jesus. Now again, pray for pastors because 
it's tough to make that emphasis in the midst of the world in 
which we live. Not impossible, but it can be 
challenging. Now, in terms of an application 
to all God's people, the people of God must be humble. It's easy 
to say, right? Yeah, brother, we need to be 
humble. Typically, people think I need to go out and be humble. that usually doesn't work too 
well. Because if you ask them what they're doing, they like 
to tell you, well, I'm trying to be humble. And as far as I'm 
concerned, you've just undone it. The better pursuit is to 
kill pride. See, when you kill pride, what's 
left in its wake? Humility. But when you seek earnestly 
to cultivate humility, you could look like the Pharisees. Remember 
Jesus' warning to his disciples, when you fast, anoint your face 
with oil, put on a smile. Why do you think he said that? 
Because when the Pharisees fasted, you knew it. They looked sad. They looked hungry. They perhaps 
whined. And if you asked them, what's 
the matter? They would probably readily announce, 
I'm fasting. Well, brethren, that betrays 
the act of fasting for humility. A.W. Pink makes this observation. In principle, this is inseparably 
connected with what he had just said in the previous verse in 
terms of Jesus must increase, but I must decrease. Pink says, 
the more I decrease, the more I delight in standing and hearing 
the voice of that blessed one who is altogether lovely. And 
so conversely, the more I stand and hear his voice, the more 
he will increase before me, and the more I shall decrease. I 
cannot be occupied with two objects at one and the same time. To 
decrease is, we take it to be less and less occupied with ourselves. The more I am occupied with Christ, 
the less shall I be occupied with myself. Humility is not 
the product of direct cultivation. Rather, it is a byproduct. The 
more I try to be humble, the less shall I attain unto humility. But if I am truly occupied with 
that one who was meek and lowly in heart, if I am constantly 
beholding his glory in the mirror of God's word, then shall I be 
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the 
Spirit of the Lord. It's a great emphasis. The more we stand in the presence 
of the bridegroom, the more that we hear his voice, the more he 
increases and the more we shall decrease. It isn't just pastors 
who have the perennial challenge of pride in the heart. It is 
all of us and it gets the best of us at times. So by God's grace, 
let us strive to do what Pete says that John said. Christ must 
increase, but we must decrease. That's the axiom. That's the 
pursuit. That's where we, as the people 
of God, need to be headed. Especially, again, in divided 
days in which we live. We need to be gracious. We need 
to remember there's a Romans 14. We need to understand there 
are things that we don't understand every jot and tittle of. We need 
to be large hearted, and we need to be charitable. and we need 
to optimize this particular principle where Christ increases and where 
we decrease. And being content with standing 
in the presence of the Savior and hearing His voice. May God 
increase our joy when we get into that posture and that disposition. For John the Baptist, it was 
everything. For us as followers of Jesus, 
but those who see that John sets forth a good example, we follow 
in his train and we say with him that he must increase, but 
I must decrease. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word. We thank you for the clarity 
that we find in the Baptists response to His disciples' question. And God, help us to appreciate 
Your sovereignty. Help us to see the necessity 
of embracing the vocation that You've given to us. And may we 
have that joy, the joy connected with being in the presence of 
Jesus and hearing His voice. And may we emphasize the increase 
of Christ and the decrease of ourselves. And we ask this for 
His glory, for His honor, and for His praise. And we pray in 
His most blessed name. Amen. We'll stand and take your 
hymn book and turn to 568. 568, we'll close our service 
by singing the doxology of praise to our triune God. ♪ Praise God Almighty ♪ is The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. God, help us today to sanctify 
the day. Help us to call it a delight, 
to find great blessing in your presence and with your people. 
And God, be glorified in and through this local church. Go 
with us now, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, please be seated 
for a brief time of meditation.