DETRIMENTAL COMPETITION-III—John 3:22-36
A DETRIMENTAL SPIRIT
Attention:
Humility in competition seems somewhat rare.
A person who undoes their own success thru their prideful attitude!
A little ‘healthy’ competition is always welcome!
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.”
“The last thing...Jonah wanted...was for -(the city of )-Nineveh to repent at his preaching; but” his... “message-(from God)-...produced repentance in spite of his ill intentions.”—MNTC
Local churches can operate & function as if they are in competition with other churches in the area. Any true church’s ‘competitive edge’ is supplied by Christ Jesus Himself! Together, we must be defenders of the faith(1Pet. 3:14-16; Jude :3-5).
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.”
*Example:—VBS can be an outreach OR a competition between churches.
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)
Today, we will also find that,
3—A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
Your PURITY is Best(:25-26)
Explanation:(:25-26)
:25—“Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples & the Jews about purification.”
Seeing as Jesus & John were both baptizing, though in different places (:22-23), John’s disciples became involved in pertinent questions with the Jews. This assumes that “the Jews” held to a differing belief than John’s disciples & thus to that of John himself.
“The Jews” were very concerned about performance(human ability) surrounding ‘ritual’ or ‘ceremonial’ “purification.”
John, & thereby his disciples, evidently had a more ‘function’-driven view rather than “the Jews’” ritual/ceremonial view of “purification.”
*And as such, the prevailing ritual teaching among “the Jews” prevented them from grasping any connection to Jesus’ fulfillment of the law. Because that connection is made from the heart, not from blind performance!
“...the ceremonial purifications, & ablutions commanded in the law of Moses; or concerning the various washings of persons, & vessels, according to the traditions of the elders,” ...“the Jews in common were very tenacious of...”—John Gill
*“Purification” is the key concept here!
There were differing ideas as to how to bring about/achieve “purification” in relation to YaHWeH the One True God. And those differing ideas remain to this day!
*“Purification” involves HOW to appease/propitiate/reach/meet/please God!...*Or knowing what my & your part is in bringing about a right relationship with the God of the Bible.
Their questionings necessarily involved & revolved around Jesus’ identity, purpose, & ministry.
Those who serve God should always be searching for godly insight into their actions. They wisely wanted to ‘get it right’ in relation to God. They probably wrestled with the place/importance of ritual against issues of life, heart & love. If we do NOT do the same, we leave eternal matters to happenstance, which is absolutely foolish!...
Jn. 3:18-20, 16-17—“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, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”...
“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.”
Rom. 5:1-5—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; & perseverance, character; & character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
2Cor. 1:21-22—“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
2Cor. 5:4-9—“For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body & to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”
Eph. 1:11-14—“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Heb. 6:16-18—“For men indeed swear by the greater, & an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”
God not only decided & promised it but pledged Himself to the promise by supplying Christ Himself & thus the Spirit!
1Jn. 5:13—“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, & that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
“Jesus surpasses John the Baptist & any baptism or rite of purification he may represent”—TGATJ(Carson)
“Arose”—ginomai—Verb—1)To become, i.e. To come into existence, begin to be, receive being; 2) To become, i.e. To come to pass, happen—2a) Of events; 3) To arise, appear in history, come upon the stage—3a) Of men appearing in public; 4) To be made, finished—4a) of miracles--To be performed, wrought; 5) To become, be made. Strong—a prolongation & middle voice form of a primary verb; To cause to be(“gen”-erate), i.e. reflexively--To become(come into being), used with great latitude(literal, figurative, intensive, etc.).
“Dispute/Question/Discussion/Argument”—zhthsiv—Noun Fem.—1) A seeking; 2) Enquiry; 3) A questioning, debate; 4) A subject of questioning or debate, matter of controversy. Strong—A searching(properly, the act), i.e. A dispute or its theme. Used 6X.
From—zhtew—of uncertain affinity; To seek(literally or figuratively); specially, by Hebraism--To worship(God), or (in a bad sense)--To plot(against life).
“Disciples”[See :22]—mayhthv—Noun Masc.—1) A learner, pupil, disciple. Strong—from manyanw-(to learn (in any way))-; A learner, i.e. Pupil.
“Jews”—Ioudaiov—Adj.—1) Jewish, belonging to the Jewish nation; 2) Jewish as respects to birth, origin, religion. Strong—Judaean, i.e. Belonging to Jehudah.
From—Iouda(in the sense of Ioudav as a country)—of Hebrew origin [hdwhy Yeh-hoo-daw' or perhaps hjy Yoot-taw'; or hjwy Yoo-taw']; Judah(i.e. Jehudah or Juttah), a part of(or place in) Palestine.
“About”—peri—Preposition—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong—from the base of peran[(pierce)through]; properly, Through(all over), i.e. Around; figuratively--With respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time (with the genitive case--denoting the subject or occasion or superlative point; with the accusative case--the locality, circuit, matter, circumstance or general period).
“Purification”—kayarismov—Noun Masc.—1) A cleansing, purification, a ritual purgation or washing—1a) of the washing of the Jews before & after their meals, 1b) Of levitical purification of women after childbirth, 1c) A cleansing from the guilt of sins wrought by the expiatory sacrifice of Christ. Strong—A washing off, i.e. cer[tain?]--Ablution, morally--Expiation. Used 7X.
:26—“And they came to John & said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified--behold, He is baptizing, & all are coming to Him!” ”
John’s “disciples” approached him with great respect by calling Him “Rabbi.” It is a title of reverence & honor as they recognized John as God’s emissary for the time.
They were concerned that the very person(Jesus) who had willingly sought out John’s baptism of repentance, was indeed “baptizing” as was John! The reader immediately senses the jealousy of John’s disciples.
The One of whom John had himself “testified” was doing the same thing that John was doing. In fact, not only was Jesus baptizing, but “all” of those who had come to John at one time were now “coming to” Jesus! John was losing disciples to Jesus!
Thereby John’s disciples saw Jesus’ ministry from a competitor’s standpoint, rather than seeing it from the standpoint of its being a logical & necessary consequence or consecutive stage of John’s ministry. The disciples of John failed to heed John’s own testimony concerning Jesus, the Son & Lamb of God(1:26-27, 29-34).
Acts 5:34-40—“Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, & commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, & all who obeyed him were scattered & came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, & drew away many people after him. He also perished, & all who obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away from these men & let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God.” And they agreed with him, & when they had called for the apostles & beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, & let them go.”
Jesus(the Christian’s leader) was dead as far as the unsaved Jews were concerned!
“Disciples of teachers are often more zealous for the teacher’s perspectives than the teachers themselves, & thus history is replete with many examples of the excesses of disciples, as in the case of the Arminians & Calvinists.”—NAC
—I remember being told of Swiss theologian, Karl Barth(the writer of a systematic theology—‘The Church Dogmatics’) lamenting something to the effect of: ‘God save me from the Barthians!’
“Christians...sometimes fall prey to the notion that, because we are complete in Christ & because He is our sufficiency, we therefore do not really need anyone else to live a faithful Christian life.”—MNTC
“We cannot possibly fulfill our own ministry, whatever it is, without being mutually dependent on others.”—MNTC
“There is no such thing as a solitary Christian.”—John Wesley in MNTC
“Came...Coming”(See :22, 23, 31)—ercomai—Verb—1) To come—1a) of persons—1a1) To come from one place to another, & used both of persons arriving & of those returning, 1a2) To appear, make one's appearance, come before the public; 2) metaph.—2a) To come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, 2b) Be established, become known, to come(fall) into or unto; 3) To go, to follow one. Ercomai denotes motion or progress generally, & of any sort, hence to “come” & arrive at, as well as “to go.” Strong—middle voice of a primary verb(used only in the present & imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred [middle voice]eleuyomai; or [active]elyw; which do not otherwise occur); To come or go(in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Said”(See :27, 28)—epw—Verb—1) To speak, say. Strong—a primary verb(used only in the definite past tense, the others being borrowed from erew, rew, & fhmi); To speak or say(by word or writing).
“Rabbi”—rabbi—Noun Masc.—1) My great one, my honorable sir; 2) Rabbi, a title used by the Jews to address their teachers(& also honor them when not addressing them). Strong—of Hebrew origin [br[Abundant(in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)] with pronominal suffix); My master, i.e. Rabbi, as an official title of honor.
“With”—meta—
“Beyond”—peran—Adverb—1) Beyond, on the other side. Strong—apparently accusative case of an obsolete derivative of peirw(to "pierce"); Through(as adverb or preposition), i.e. Across. Used 23X.
“Jordan”—Iordanhv—Noun Proper Locative—Jordan = "the descender”—1) The one river of Palestine, has its course of little more than 200 miles(300 km), from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the head of the Dead Sea. Strong—of Hebrew origin -(Ndry Yar-dane')-; The Jordanes(i.e. Jarden), a river of Palestine. Used 15X.
“Testified”-(See :28—“Bear...witness”)-—marturew—Verb—1) To be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. To affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration—1a) To give(not to keep back) testimony, 1b) To utter honorable testimony, give a good report, 1c) Conjure, implore. Strong—To be witness, i.e. Testify(literally or figuratively).
“Behold”—ide—Particle—1) Behold, see. Strong—second person singular imperative active of eidw; used as An interjection to denote surprise; Lo!
“Baptizing”(See :22, 23)—baptizw—Verb—1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge(of vessels sunk); 2) To cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe; 3) To overwhelm.
“All”(See :31, 35)—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
Argumentation:
Mat. 10:24-25—“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!”
Lk. 6:40—“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”
Jn. 7:28-31—“Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, & you know where I am from; & I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. “But I know Him, for I am from Him, & He sent Me.” Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, & said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
1Cor. 4:1-8—“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ & stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness & reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself & Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who 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? You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us--& indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!”
cf.--Jn. 3:27
Rom. 13:11-14:3—“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, & let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry & drunkenness, not in lewdness & lust, not in strife & envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, & make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, & let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.”
—Personal individual faith!
1Tim. 1:1-4—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior & the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, & peace from God our Father & Jesus Christ our Lord. As I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables & endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.”
1Tim. 6:1-6—“Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God & His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers & beloved. Teach & exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise & does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, & to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes & arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds & destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”
2Tim. 2:8-15, 19-26—“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”.....“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” &, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold & silver, but also of wood & clay, some for honor & some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified & useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish & ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, & that they may come to their senses & escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
Titus 3:3-11—“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts & pleasures, living in malice & envy, hateful & hating one another. But when the kindness & the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration & renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, & these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good & profitable to men. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, & strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable & useless. Reject a divisive man after the first & second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped & sinning, being self-condemned.”
Js. 3:13--4:10—“Who is wise & understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy & self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast & lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy & self-seeking exist, confusion & every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without partiality & without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Where do wars & fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust & do not have. You murder & covet & cannot obtain. You fight & war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask & do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament & mourn & weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning & your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up.”
Mat. 6:22-23—“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Mat. 7:21-27—“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, & done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, & does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: & the rain descended, the floods came, & the winds blew & beat on that house; & it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, & does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: & the rain descended, the floods came, & the winds blew & beat on that house; & it fell. And great was its fall.”
Illustration:
In Carrabelle, FL, many people have home water filters installed/Florida’s water is naturally is channeled thru lime-rock which naturally leaches into the water, giving it a heavy mineral concentration—‘hard water’/Filtering generally starts out as a concern to ‘soften’ the water/Residents realize that if the minerals are not ‘filtered out’ by the city waterworks(or from an on-site well), then it stands to reason that other things may not be ‘filtered out’ either/Floridians put some pretty elaborate engineering into multiple filtering apparatuses—tanks, filters, pumps & such—which remove various carcinogens, heavy metals & other dangerous things/These apparatuses can become bragging points—“Our water is so clean that...& so on”/Your PURITY is Best
Church denominations compare themselves to one another/On web-sites we openly state our beliefs, while others seem to make Christian doctrine secondary, or an after-thought, to social interaction & ministry/But if your Purity is built on anything other than Jesus...If He is not the foundation...& the Holy Spirit is not the director...& God’s glory is not the purpose, then your PURITY is indeed NOT Best!
Application:
?In YOUR mind, Is YOUR PURITY Best?
?Is YOUR spirit Detrimental to OR Conducive to Christian Ministry?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
3. Your PURITY is Best(:25-26)
1. Your LAND/AREA is Best(:22-23)
2. Your IMMERSION/Baptism is Best(:23-24)
Pt. 3 only!/ presented 05/07/2017am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
