“A Faithful Servant’s Final Words”: John 3:22-30
Charles Spurgeon once said: “Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self.” We all recognize that humility is one of the great Christian virtues being the opposite of pride, but where does humility come from and why is so hard to attain? Part of the answer can be found in the final testimony and words of John the Baptist recorded in John 3: 22-30.
John 3:22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him." 27 John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease."
The Final days of John the Baptist’s ministry
John had achieved much popularity in the last days of his preaching and baptizing. Great crowds of people came to hear him from the whole region of the Jordan and included a cross section of the population. As we saw earlier in John, men thought that maybe he was a reincarnation of Elijah or another prophet.
King Herod even enjoyed John’s popularity and listened and responded to John’s generalities, but when John spoke personally to Herod about his sin of living with his brother’s wife, Herodias, both Herod AND his wife turned cold to John. But we are told in our text today that John had not yet been imprisoned, but John’s notoriety was decreasing as the crowds began more and more to follow Jesus. John’s disciples were more concerned about this loss of popularity than John was because they didn’t like seeing their teacher take second place.
In John 3:26, they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him." They’re warning John: “You’re dropping in the numbers and in the polls. Don’t you feel bad that you are not as popular as you once were? What can we do to spruce up your ministry a little bit? Maybe you should rebuke Jesus. Say something to slow him down?” But John’s reply actually does the opposite.
God is Sovereign
His exact words are important; In verse 27 he says: "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” John’s reply excludes “fate”, “chance” or so-called “luck” as an answer to any circumstances: All the events of time are under the sovereign providence of the Almighty God. If you consider the entire Bible, the Lord’s Sovereignty is apparent on every page: God’s Almighty control in all things as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the unfolding of history as HIS STORY, His foreknowledge and providence in History: God sees and knows the future, having declared the end from the beginning. (Isa. 46:8-10) "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”
Having a proper Biblical sense of God’s Sovereignty “does not mean that you are free to be lazy in your Christian life and then blame your lack of achievement on God…but it does mean that whatever the result of our efforts, we will see God’s hand in them and will not be jealous of another through whom God apparently achieves more. Moreover, we will not be proud of our imagined spiritual insight or be jealous of another’s understanding if we are aware that even this comes only from above.” (The Gospel of John” Vol. 1, M. Boice, p. 254)
Jesus taught this, Peter also, as well as Paul: “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not.” (1 Cor. 4:7) As people who believe God’s Word ABOUT HIMSELF, we also recognize that all Christ-centered and totally committed service is on an equal standard before God, empowered by God, and performed for His Glory, whatever that service may be. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10) We take no personal credit in anything we do for God’s Kingdom purposes when it is He that has ordained that we be saved and that we serve Him as willing slaves for the Righteous One of Heaven.
A True Biblical Self-Awareness
Secondly, John demonstrates a true self-awareness when he responds in verse 28: “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.” True Humility demonstrates a True Biblical Self-Awareness. Do we as believers have the same self-awareness? On one level, we will recognize ourselves to be nothing. God’s own appraisal of us in was stated in Jesus’ own words in John 15:5: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Apart from God I am nothing. Apart from Christ I am nothing. There is no good thing in me except it be given from God. “If a person will accept God’s verdict, he can become something for God. If he rejects that verdict of nothingness, he is, of all men, the MOST NOTHING! If a man will believe what God says about him, he will admit to what he really is and will enter by faith into what he should be in Christ.” (The Gospel of John” Vol. 1, M. Boice, p. 255)
Listen to Paul in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” There is something very interesting in the Greek in this sentence which is not apparent in the English. A form of the Greek word “phroneo” occurs four times: the word describes a man who is sane or in his right mind.(For example, a person who is writing a will might say: Being sane and in my right mind.) Using the idea of “sanity” to translate in Romans 12:3, it would read like this: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every Christian among you, do not indulge in an insane estimate of yourself, but rather be sane about it so that your estimate of yourself is sound. (or sane, not insane!)”
This is what John did when he realized and proclaimed that God had called him to merely “announce” the Lord Jesus and witness for His glory and Kingdom, not for any self-aggrandizement whatsoever. As believers on this side of the Cross and Resurrection, we too, should glory in what HE has done for us and bring Him the gratitude and glory that He deserves.
The Lord Jesus Christ Is Above All
Another factor in John’s humility is found in verse 29: “The one who has the bride (THE CHURCH) is the bridegroom.(This is the Lord Jesus) The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.(John the Baptist describes himself as the friend of the bridegroom, maybe the best man.) Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” What was John the Baptist’s greatest privilege and joy? To bring attention to himself? No! It wasn’t his wedding; he was only here to SERVE THE BRIDEGROOM, THE LORD JESUS. Isn’t that the purpose of every person who is saved by the Glorious Grace of God. True Humility recognizes that the Lord Jesus Christ Is THE ONE who is Above All.
If we have our eyes and lives fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ above all else we will consider ourselves to be his unprofitable servants at best. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says: “And we all, with unveiled face, BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF THE LORD, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Do we do that? Live with our attention focused on the GLORY OF THE LORD who saved us, so that we are being transformed into HIS LIKENESS? We have received the UNMERITED FAVOR of a merciful God and Savior and we should be SERVING HIM. WE SHOULD BE ADORING CHRIST ABOVE ALL IN OUR LIVES! He is the one who is center stage in our lives: Everything else pales in comparison to Him.
JOY in leading others to Jesus Christ
Look at that last part of verse 29 again: “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” What was John’s Holy Mission: Not to gather people to himself and build a Church; It was to point others in the direction of the Messiah. He had emphatically stated that HE was not the Christ earlier in his ministry, and now he states it clearly again and says: I am exceedingly glad, not because I have been successful, but that God has caused me to be faithful to point others to Christ. The Bridegroom has come to present Himself to the Bride and the glory belongs to Him. Listen to Him! True Humility experiences JOY in leading others to Jesus Christ. There is no greater joy for a believer than to witness to others to the Grace of God in the Lord Jesus. God is building His Kingdom through those who believe. The message is heralded by believers to the world which is lost in the darkness of their sin.
There is no greater joy than to be obedient to the call of Christ to share the Gospel message with those who have never heard it or do not understand it. I am continually humbled and awed by the life, ministry and faith of an 84 year old woman who continues to witness to others about the TRUTH of the Gospel of God’s Grace and to challenge them to grow in the Word, to visit and encourage and pray with those who are weak and sick.
Joy is found in worshiping and serving the Savior with a “Here am I; use me for your kingdom” attitude and then DOING. Paul said in Acts 20:24: “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Testifying to the good news of God’s grace is every believer’s task, not just John, Paul, Peter, or Timothy. Out of God’s Grace, He is able to use YOU to share the Gospel with others. Have the courage to ask someone: Can I share the Bible with you?
Exulting in Christ’s Exaltation
Finally in verse 30 John says: “He must increase, but I must decrease." He must become greater, I must become less! We as redeemed sinners who had absolutely NO HOPE of anything but death outside of Christ should be continually exulting in Christ and in His extravagant love and work for us and in His Exalted position as LORD of LORDS, King above all kings, Ruler in our lives. Our joy and rejoicing is in Jesus.
You may not recognize the meaning of “exult”; it’s different than “exalt”. Exult is “to be joyful, be happy, be delighted, be elated, be ecstatic, be overjoyed, be jubilant, be rapturous, be in raptures, be thrilled, jump for joy, be on cloud nine.” Exaltation can also be joy and rejoicing but it also carries the meaning of being elevated to a high position: in Latin it meant to RAISE HIGH. Jesus HAS increased: He has the Name that is above all other names and He has shown us our lowly position in His exaltation. It is God’s divine intention that in the life of believers, Jesus continues to increase in our lives as we decrease in our own focus and importance until we finally can say, “All I have and all I need is Christ. My only boast is that I glory in my Redeemer and in the advancement of His Kingdom. May your greatest joy be that He must increase in your life and you must decrease. Amen
OUTLINE: Intro: The Final days of John the Baptist’s ministry. (verse 26) John’s disciples were more concerned about this loss of popularity than John was.
1. True Humility recognizes that God is Sovereign. (verse 27) We take no personal credit in anything we do for God’s Kingdom purposes when it is He that has ordained that we be saved that we serve Him as willing slaves for the Righteous One of Heaven.
2. True Humility demonstrates a True Biblical Self-Awareness. (verse 28) “If a person will accept God’s verdict, he can become something for God. If he rejects that verdict of nothingness, he is, of all men, the MOST NOTHING!”
3. True Humility recognizes that the Lord Jesus Christ Is Above All. (verse 29) We have received the UNMERITED FAVOR of a merciful God and Savior and we should be SERVING and ADORING HIM ABOVE ALL IN OUR LIVES!
4. True Humility experiences JOY in leading others to Jesus Christ. (verse 29 b) Real joy comes from saying: “Here am I; use me.
5. True Humility Exults in Christ’s Exaltation. (verse 30) Humility willingly gives Christ “center-stage” in all things.
