Detrimental Competition-8

DETRIMENTAL COMPETITION-VIII—John 3:22-36

Christians & the Church indeed have ‘the market’ on truth. We are in competition with false doctrine. But the Church invites grave difficulties upon herself when they become competitors among themselves...i.e., When their competition becomes detrimental to God’s desire.

While empowered & triumphant in Christ, individual Christians within the church, & even the local Church, can become a breeding ground for a Competitive spirit, driven by turning privilege in Christ into entitlement & deserving. Such a Competitive spirit is unhealthy & Detrimental to the Christian faith.

A biblically doctrinal(truth) understanding is vital to your growth as a Christian! We must stand firm for the truth, & we must also be certain to avoid standing firm for that which is contrived of man!

*Verses :25 & 26 form the hinge/focus around which this passage flows.

John the Baptist pointed out the weakness/detriments/absurdities/incompatibilities of competitive ministry.

A competitive spirit can be detrimental to Christian ministry.

cf.—Php. 1:15-18—“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy & strife, & some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice.”

We are always best served, & the Good News is best served, & the Kingdom of God is best served, by those who preach Christ from good will, rather than from envy & strife.

Jesus said, in Mark 3:24, 25—“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

When is a competitive spirit detrimental to Christian ministry?

9 detriments of a competitive spirit to Christian ministry.

(And these all center around ‘me,’ ‘my,’ & ‘mine’!)

We have already seen that,

A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...

1. Your LAND/AREA is Best(:22-23)

2. Your IMMERSION/Baptism is Best(:23-24)

3. Your PURITY is Best(:25-26)

4. Your PLAN is Best(:27-28)

5. Your FULFILLMENT is Best(:29-30)

6. Your ORIGIN is Best(:31)

7. Your TESTIMONY is Best(:32-34)

Our concern at FBCC is that you leave the ‘land’ of YOUR’ for the ‘land of the LORD!’

8—A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...

Your AUTHORITY is Best(:35)

Explanation:(:35)

:35—“The Father loves the Son, & has given all things into His hand.”

God “the Father” loves the only-begotten Son(:14, 18; 1Jn. 4:9).

Due to His perfect “love” for His perfect Son, “the Father” has perfectly bestowed upon His Son all authority in heaven & on earth(Mat. 28:18; Mat. 11:27(Lk. 10:22).

That Jesus has had “all things” placed “into His hand,” by His Father means obvious that all humanity is answerable to God thru Jesus. Jesus is the only means of attaining the way, the truth & the life(Jn. 14:6). These are sourced & centered in Jesus. To forego surrender to Jesus is to choose that which is utterly, unquestionably, & eternally foolish!

Thereby, it is inferred & stated(3:18; Jn. 5:23; 1Jn. 2:21-23; 1Jn. 4:14-15) that whoever denies Jesus the Son of God, likewise denies the authority of the Father.

The devil denies allegiance to Jesus & he cannot recount his decision because that decision was made in the perfection of his being. From the time Lucifer was created he lived continually in & witnessed God’s perfect presence of which men cannot even look upon. Therefore the devil is doomed to hell without hope.

You & me & individuals of all humanity of all time can change our minds. We have opportunity to repent until we reach our eternal state.

Once we reach our non-fleshly/earthy(pre-eternal) state(thru death), we can no longer repent...We cannot turn to Jesus then. Our fate is sealed forever at death! That’s why it is so sad when someone dies without Jesus. And that’s why it would behoove you to not do ‘foolish & irreverent things’ with the life with which you’ve been blessed!

“Father”—pathr—Noun Masc.—1) Generator or male ancestor; 2) metaph.—2a) The originator & transmitter of anything; 3) God is called the Father. Strong—apparently a primary word; A “father”(literally or figuratively, near or more remote).

“Loves”—agapaw—Verb—1) of persons—1a) To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2) of things—2a) To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. Strong—perhaps from agan(much) [or compare bge[To breathe after, i.e. To love(sensually)]]; To love (in a social or moral sense). RWP—“the noble word so common in the Gospels for the highest form of love.”

“Son”[See :36]—uiov—Noun Masc.—1) A son—1a) Rarely used for the young of animals, 1b) generally used of the offspring of men, 1c) in a restricted sense--The male offspring(one born by a father & of a mother), 1d) in a wider sense--A descendant, one of the posterity of any one, 1e)) used to describe One who depends on another or is his follower—1e1) A pupil. Strong—apparently a primary word; A “son”(sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.