How many here have attempted to trace your family heritage, maybe asked your relatives about your great grandfather or great grandmother, great aunts and uncles? It is always fascinating to trace the story of your lineage - where your family came from, how your ancient relatives lived, what they experienced, the things they did and the decisions they made that played a part in how you got to this place and point in time. Knowing this information helps you understand how and where your life fits into your family’s story.
How does this relate to today’s Bible passage? If you are a child of God, you are part of His family and part of His story of redemption. And if you desire to know how your life fits into God’s story, you will need to get to know the God who created you and seek His Kingdom first. Only when you put God’s Word into practice will you see where your place is and how your story becomes part of God’s story.
John 3:22-36
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
What we see in this passage in John 3 is:
? Our place in God’s story
? Our part in God’s story
? The Person of Jesus Christ
Let’s talk about:
Our place in God’s story
V. 22 says, “After these things” - which is referring to after Jesus performed certain miracles, after He cleaned out the temple, after His encounter with Nicodemus…“Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside.” Bible scholars tell us that this was a kind of an “obscure” period of time because there wasn’t much recorded about what Jesus did in the Judean countryside. However, we know He went for two reasons. First, Jesus wanted to spend some unhurried time with His disciples - some speculate it could have been up to six months of training them in ministry. Second, His disciples were baptizing people just like John was, preparing people for the Kingdom of God.
V. 23 says,
Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.
John and his disciples had been baptizing people at the Jordan River and were now baptizing in very close proximity to where Jesus and His disciples were ministering.
In v. 24 - John, the disciple of Jesus wants us to know that this event took place between Jesus’ baptism and John the Baptist's arrest and it is most likely the last time where John the Baptist sees Jesus before his execution.
In vv. 25 -26 we see there was some type of dispute between John’s disciples and a Jewish man about purification practices. We do not know who this “certain Jew” was, but it would appear that this man was questioning the legitimacy of John’s ministry of baptism.
At the same time, John’s disciples were dealing with the issue of Jesus and His disciples who were also baptizing people. John the Baptist’s disciples who had given their time and energy and affection to him were very upset when they saw everyone leaving John and flocking to Jesus. They were so jealous of “that man” they couldn’t even say his name. You could hear their resentment when they called John “Rabbi” meaning John had the real authority and “that man” didn’t. “John can’t you see, the One you told us about is now baptizing like you and everyone is going over to him - this guy is upstaging you!”
So how does John the Baptist feel about all the masses shifting over to Jesus here in the Judean countryside? Was John angry, resentment, insecure, sad? John, who was a well-known, gifted preacher from God gives a very humble reply:
No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven (v. 27).
John knew the Scriptures, he understood God’s plan of redemption from the OT and also knew why God brought him to this place and specifically for what purpose. John was saying, “I only have this ministry because of the kindness and mercy of God. God brought these people here, and if God wants to take them somewhere else, that’s His decision.” John was saying, “It’s not about me - anything and everything that I am or have is because of God’s grace. I’m just called to be faithful to God’s plan and how He wants to use my life in it. I want to be a good steward with what God gave me in order to do His will.”
John was not rallying people to his cause or building a personality cult around himself. He was not threatened by Jesus' presence, nor jealous of His ministry, he knew his place. John knew his ministry was winding down, so I think he deliberately brought his disciples to the area where Jesus was. He wanted his disciples to follow Jesus, to know Him - because it was and is all about Him. Even when John was in prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus to confirm the fact that He is indeed the Messiah. John understood his place in God’s story which has a beginning and an end. He not only knew His place in relationship to Jesus, He also knew in which geographical location He was supposed to be.
Why do you think you are here today in this place? It is because someone allowed their life to be part of God’s story of redemption and pointed you to Jesus as the Means of redemption. There were probably others who God brought into your life at certain times and in certain places who were committed to walking alongside you in your spiritual journey. They were in the right place at a specific time for a specific purpose. These are the people who pointed away from themselves and pointed you to Jesus.
Taking our place in God’s story requires humility, steps of faith, and obedience to Him. It comes from understanding your place in His story - where He has called you and what He has called you to do. Which brings me to the second point in this passage, understanding:
Our part in God’s story
In verse 28 John said, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I stated, ‘I am not the Christ but, I have only been sent ahead of Him as His appointed forerunner and messenger to announce and proclaim His coming.” John was saying you already knew this, but you don’t like this answer.
The purpose for which God put me on this earth is to prepare the way and point people to the Messiah. I am not the Christ, I am not the solution to your problems, I am not your savior, don’t put me on a pedestal, or put your hope in me - put your trust and hope in Christ alone.
John understood God’s overarching plan of redemption and was content to do his part. John said in vv. 29-30,
The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”
“I am just the best man.” The best man’s job was important. His role was to prepare the wedding festivities and to make sure the ceremony went smoothly. We all know weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions. It is a joy for the best man to make sure the bridegroom was there so the wedding could begin. Once the Bridegroom took the bride, the best man's work was done and he stepped out of the way.
“My pleasure and joy are now complete - it has been my joy to bring people to Jesus, the Lamb of God, this is what I was called to do.” John the Baptist was born for this time so he could do his part in God’s story.
It is the same for every one of us who has been redeemed by Christ - we all have a part in God’s story. God has brought us to this place, has given each of us gifts, talents, time, and unique abilities. Each of us has been given the responsibility to use what the Lord has given to us to accomplish our part in His story of redemption. We know He wants to use our lives to edify and invest in our local church as vital members of the body of Christ as we see in Ephesians 4. We all have a part in God’s story, in our various spheres of influence, in the workplace, in the university, everywhere God has called us to in His plan.
My question for you is: Do you know the reason why God has you right here in this place, in this church, in your family, in your workplace or university and for what purpose? Each one of you has been uniquely created by God to fulfill your part in His story. You have been put here by God, for a specific time and for a specific purpose but at the same time we need to remember, this life is not about us - it's about connecting people to the Savior. It’s about making the way straight for others to come to Jesus Christ. We exist to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
A friend of mine, who is blind, told me that when God showed him why he went blind he accepted it as part of God’s plan. Now he believes he is called to minister to the world of the blind. This is his story and his story is part of God’s bigger story.
Because John knew God and His plan of redemption for this world, he was secure in why he was here and what he was called to do as part of God’s story.
If you really want to know your place and part in God’s story it begins by getting to know and follow the…
Jesus Christ
What does that mean? If you want to know what your place and part is in God’s story, you first need to know Jesus personally and second you need to follow. As John elaborates in v. 31, no one, no pastor, no priest, no imam, Buddhist monk or anyone else on this earth can save you or guarantee your salvation. As we heard last Sunday in the beginning of John 3, Jesus said, no one will see or enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless they are born again - born of water and the Holy Spirit. It is only Jesus who comes from heaven that paid the way for you to get to heaven. Many have and will reject the Person of Jesus Christ and His testimony and only those who have placed their trust in Him as their Messiah will have His promise of forgiveness, peace, and eternal life.
Second, when you get to know the one who created you, by spending time with Him on a daily basis, through His Word, by conversing with Him in prayer, and by allowing Him to teach you, guide you, you will find what you were created for, you will find your place in the body of Christ where His fullness dwells. We want our lives to count, not just in time but also in eternity.
This is what John meant when he said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” It means Jesus must have a greater place and part in our lives. The word “must” in this sentence is in the present imperative tense. Jesus’ increasing and my decreasing must be an ongoing process in order for others to see Christ more and more in my life. It means death to self, continually yielding ourselves to Jesus.
Pearl and I had an older Christian friend and mentor who walked with us through some very challenging times in our lives. Even though he suffered serious health issues, he never stopped preaching, he never stopped encouraging us to press on, he never stopped pointing us to the Person of Jesus Christ. The last time we saw him, he was dying from congestive heart failure in a retirement home with his wife by his side. As he sat in his wheelchair he leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Get me out of here, get me back to Europe where I can preach the gospel again.” Like John the Baptist, this was where our mentor found his joy - in wholeheartedly embracing God’s will and fulfilling his part in God’s story of redemption.
How many here can say they know their place and part in God’s story and are living it out? How many come to church week after week, year after year doing their own thing, going after their own pursuits, but have not taken their place and part in God’s story? Are you allowing God to use your life to point others to the Person of Christ? Are you preparing the next generation by doing your part? Are you making a difference right where you are? Are you making disciples or content just making friends?
There will be times in your life when you do not know where God wants you to be or what He wants you to do, so what do you do while you wait for the answer? As you wait on God, delve into His Word, seek His face, and minister in the place He has you now. Even in your times of waiting, your story becomes part of God’s story both now and for all of eternity.
I just want to relay a story to you as we close (which some of you may have heard before)...
In 1855 a Sunday school teacher named Edward Kimball had been investing in a boy in his class that he felt hadn’t been engaging. So he went to the shoe store where this boy worked and led him to Christ - his name was D.L. Moody. Years later D.L. Moody became a famous evangelist and traveled to England in 1870 and awakened the heart of a young pastor —F.B. Meyer. F.B. Meyer became one of the great Bible expositors, came to the U.S.A. and preached on college campuses, and was used to convert a student to Christ—Wilbur Chapman. Wilbur Chapman attended one of Moody's meetings in Chicago and became D.L. Moody's co-worker. In 1924 Wilbur Chapman employed an ex-baseball player as his assistant—Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday became a great evangelist and preached in Charlotte, North Carolina, at a meeting that his organization put together.
In 1933, this same group invited an evangelist to Charlotte; his name was Mordecai Ham. Mordecai Ham preached in the tent meeting where Billy Graham surrendered his life to Christ. It is estimated that Billy Graham had proclaimed the gospel to 2.2 billion people across the globe, and millions of them have had their lives changed forever because one person was available to take their place and do their part in God’s plan and this affected other people who did the same. The question is: Will you place your life and all that you are into the hands of God so you can be part of God’s story?
