DETRIMENTAL COMPETITION-VI—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.”
“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)
3. Your PURITY is Best(:25-26)
4. Your PLAN is Best(:27-28)
5. Your FULFILLMENT is Best(:29-30)
Our concern at FBCC is that you leave the ‘land’ of YOUR’ for the ‘land of the LORD!’
6—A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
Your ORIGIN is Best(:31)
Explanation:(:31)
:31—“He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly & speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”
John gives further credence to his previous statements(:27-30) by making Jesus’ divinity & thereby Jesus’ ministry obvious by comparison.
In speaking of that One(Christ/Messiah/Jesus) “who comes from above” John twice declares to be “above all.”
John speaks of himself in regard to being earthly & as a result, “speaking of the earth.”
In other words, John is rightly limiting himself to the imperfections of humanity, while this Christ/Messiah of which he speaks imperfectly, actually “comes from heaven” &, by virtue of that, is “above all.”
“Comes”2X(See :22, 23, 26)—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).—
“From Above”2X[See :3, 7]—anwyen—Adverb—1) From above, from a higher place—1a) Of things which come from heaven or God; 2) From the first, from the beginning, from the very first; 3) Anew, over again. Strong—From above; by analogy--From the first; by implication--Anew. Used 13X.
From—anw—Adverb—1) Up, upwards, above, on high; 2) Of the quarters of the heaven, northward; 3) Of countries, inland, up from the coast; 4) Of time, formerlyStrong—Upward or on the top.
“Is”3X—esti—Verb—1) third person singular of “to be.” Strong—third person singular present indicative of eimi; He(she or it) is; also(with neuter plural)--They are.
“Above”—epanw—Adverb—1) Above—1a) Of place, 1b) of number--More than. Strong—Up above, i.e. Over or On(of place, amount, rank, etc.). Used 20X.
From—epi—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution[with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.—&—anw—1) Up, upwards, above, on high; 2) Of the quarters of the heaven, northward; 3) Of countries, inland, up from the coast; 4) Of time, formerlyStrong—Upward or on the top.
“All”2X[See :26, 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.
“Is”—wn, feminine--ousa, neuter--on—Participle—1) Being, etc. Strong—present participle of eimi; Being.
“Of/From”2X—ek/ex—Prep.—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).—
“the Earth”2X—thv ghv—gh—Noun Fem.—1) Arable land; 2) The ground, the earth as a standing place; 3) The main land as opposed to the sea or water; 4) The earth as a whole—4a) The earth as opposed to the heavens, 4b) The inhabited earth, the abode of men & animals; 5) A country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, region. Strong—contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension--A region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe(including the occupants in each application).
“Earthly/Of the Earth”—ek thv ghv—
“Speaks”[See :34]—lalew—Verb—1) To utter a voice or emit a sound; 2) To speak—2a) To use the tongue or the faculty of speech, 2b) To utter articulate sounds; 3) To talk; 4) To utter, tell; 5) To use words in order to declare one's mind & disclose one's thoughts—5a) To speak. Strong—a prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; To talk, i.e. Utter words.
“Heaven”[See :27]—ouranov—Noun Masc.—1) The vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it—1a) The universe, the world, 1b) The aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds & the tempests gather, & where thunder & lightning are produced, 1c) The sidereal or starry heavens; 2) The region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal & consummately perfect where God dwells & other heavenly beings. Strong—perhaps from the same as orov(through the idea of elevation—Probably from an obsolete orw(to rise or “rear”)); The sky; by extension--Heaven(as the abode of God); by implication--Happiness, power, eternity; specifically, the Gospel(Christianity).
Argumentation:
Jn. 1:14-16—“And the Word became flesh & dwelt among us, & we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace & truth. John bore witness of Him & cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, & grace for grace.”
Jn. 6:28-38—“Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered & said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it & believe You? What work will You do? “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven & gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, & he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me & yet do not believe. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, & the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Jn. 8:21-30—“Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, & you will seek Me, & will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say & to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; & I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.” They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, & that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.”
Is your message from above/heaven?
1Cor. 15:45-58—“And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, & afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; & as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh & blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, & the dead will be raised incorruptible, & we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, & this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, & this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, & the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1Cor. 13:8-13—“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part & we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Jn. 3:13, 3, 5-7—Jesus told Nicodemus—“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”.....“Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”.....“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Illustration:
Yourself—Your testimony is that your beginning-being born again-new nature, is not of flesh, but of Spirit!/ORIGIN
There are some who place their personal experiences on a par with the revealed word of God—example: A nationally recognized TV preacher describes his experience in heaven(J. D.)/Such as these ‘add to’ the Scripture rather than exposing & explaining what God has revealed in His word/Paul heard things he was not allowed to repeat(2Cor. 12:3-4)/ORIGIN
Paul rightly saw God’s revelation as best. He admitted that his inability allowed God’s ability to shine(2Cor. 12:7-10).
Southern Baptist beginnings—1845 Northern & Southern Baptists split from American Baptists/Disparities in Organization, Home Missions appointments(Southerners were being overlooked, while Northern & Western appointments abounded), but Slavery views(anti vs. pro) were the tipping point--Southern Baptists being pro-slavery/These 3 bodies had regional names & obvious spiritual limitations, but national fields of work(‘The Baptist Heritage’, Leon McBeth)/What is the source of those views?--Christ or man?/ORIGIN
Mormonism—Why did Joseph Smith(in the 19th century) translate the angel Moroni’s gold plates with a 17th century British dialect?/
“In The Book of Mormon, God inflictes a “curse” of dark skin on the Lamanites when they disobey him, & become "white & delightsome" when they obey him.” “...black individual's ‘pre-existence spirits’ were not as virtuous as white ‘pre-existence’ spirits.”
“Pre-existence, preexistence, beforelife, or premortal existence refers to the belief that each individual human soul existed before mortal conception, & at some point before birth enters or is placed into the body.”—Wikipedia
Application:
?In YOUR mind, Is YOUR ORIGIN(the Origin of your belief) Best?
?Is YOUR spirit Detrimental to OR Conducive to Christian Ministry? CONCLUSION:
Action:
A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
6. Your ORIGIN is Best(:31)
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)
Pt.# 6 only! presented 10/15/2017pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
