There are so many details with weddings. When my daughter Jennifer got married, we thought we had it all in control. On the way to the ceremony, 12 miles from the house, Jenn let out a scream -- Dad...we forgot the Unity Candle! We almost had an accident on the bridge.
One couple opted for a garden ceremony. They wanted the Unity Candle, but the forecast was for wind. We came up with the idea of two wine glasses, which they would pour into a third, symbolizing the pouring of their lives together. Nobody thought to tell the groom to use water. He used real wine...sweet wine. It was a hot August day. When we came to the pouring point, the bride, groom and I looked down at three glasses covered with 9,000 drunk flies.
John the Baptist was the best man -- the friend of the bridegroom, Jesus. His part of the details was making sure the invitations got out on time. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand...was his invitation message.
This passage is about more than who baptized whom. It tells us what the bridegroom (Jesus) expects the bride (all believers, the church), to bring to the wedding. If you are part of the bride of Christ, please notice those things you need to prepare...
PRIORITY
After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into prison. Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. John 3:22-27
The disciples of John were quite possessive of the following they had built up. They seemed to be worried that Jesus was developing a bigger mailing list. Later, after the resurrection, we find some of the Baptist’s followers still promoting his teaching. This was proof that while they didn’t accept Jesus, they never heard John either.
John understood that he, and his message, were not the priority. The action at a wedding isn’t the invitation -- it’s at the altar! John understood the priority of having people turn to Jesus.
A young woman college student wrote about priorities, Shortly after I went away to college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, my mother replaced her old car with a new one. Home one weekend, I borrowed her car for an evening out with friends. Returning late, I was surprised to find my mother still up. Mom, I chided, I’m in college now! You don’t have to wait up for me! Her Mom answered, I wasn’t waiting up for you, I was waiting for my car. It’s never been out past midnight before.
It is a good thing for us to keep in mind that whatever we do in our homes, occupations, community and church, Jesus is the focus. He is the priority. There’s no room for jealousy or possessiveness in the Kingdom. Besides priority there is..
HUMILITY
Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice:
this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:28-30
Humility is one of those things that, once you’re certain you have it -- you don’t! Whales communicate with each other. One whale sounded the following caution to his dear mate: Better watch it; when you get to the top and start to blow, that’s when you get harpooned!
Winston Churchill knew that public favor was no reason to get proud. One time he gave a speech and 10,000 people came. A friend asked, Winston, aren’t you impressed that 10,000 people came to hear you speak?
He said, Not really. 100,000 would come to see me hang. It’s a wise man who knows how to know himself.
John’s willingness to have Jesus take center-stage is one huge contrast with his natural character. Yet, it is consistent with true humility. Here is a man who could look King Herod square in the face and call him an adulterous murderer (He killed his own brother to steal his wife, Herodia for himself -- Matthew 14). The Pharisees and Sadducees came to John for baptism and he called them a generation of vipers, and sent them away. The man wore itchy camel skins and ate bugs. Yet, we hear him saying, it’s time for me to back off -- Jesus should increase.
John had a fierce, well-deserved reputation. Yet, he knew his job was done. He was the matchmaker, the last of the Old Testament prophets. His job was to announce the new era of Messiah. Humility isn’t weakness -- it is the strength to do what is right. John did that. And we must.
Jesus was meek -- but not milquetoast. Biblical meekness is the picture of a great, powerful stallion -- all that strength -- but under total control. Meekness is using strength where it will accomplish the mission. The bride needs to do that. We have a lot of strength together. If we will keep under control and remember to look to the head of the church, Christ, we’ll decrease the focus on the silly things we are prone to do, and increase the focus on Jesus.
The bride of Christ is to bring to the wedding a sense of priority, a dose of humility, and then, an attitude of...
DEPENDENCY
He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth:
he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God:
for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. John 3:31-35
It was Corrie Ten Boom who said, If God sends us on stony paths, he provides strong shoes. You have got to trust in a big way to make a statement like that. Setting your seal is letting go, allowing control to pass to someone else’s hands. Chuck Swindoll wrote about his stint in the Marines at the end of World War II. They were sailing into a Japanese harbor to begin occupation. When they got just two miles off the coast of Japan, they stopped dead in the water -- stayed there for three hot days.
Finally, a small launch carrying a Japanese commander came alongside. The former enemy took control of the ship and steered it the rest of the way into port. During the last few hundred yards, the reason why the delay, and appearance of the Japanese commander, rippled through the crew. He was there because he knew where the mines were! Welcome to Japan, Marine! They were in another’s hands -- literally!
Can you do that? Can you trust? In a wedding ceremony, vows usually include, and with all my worldly goods do thee endow. There is a mutual dependency that is promised and received. The bride of Christ must trust her bridegroom.
We do some planning here. We plan events for the year. We plan our programs. We dream about how we will reach people for Christ. We plan a budget. But, without a strong sense of dependency on Christ, all our planning would only be carnal -- only human plans. The real reason we plan is because Christ said, Go, teach, baptize, take the Gospel to every corner of the world. We make our plans -- but we’re depending on Him to breathe life into those plans, and bring honor to Himself -- sometimes in spite of our plans. Sometimes we have to change plans, step-out, exercise a little reckless abandon in our faith.
A company in Las Vegas called Thrillseekers Unlimited specializes in what it calls an Adrenaline vacation. Owner Rick Hopkins enthusiastically promotes a week of skydiving, bungee jumping, firewalking, paragliding, and rock climbing for the not-so- faint-of-heart. S.L. Potter, is a La Mesa, California, resident who bungee jumped for the first time at age one hundred! Potter’s children, ages sixty-eight to seventy-four, were vehemently opposed to the leap, but Potter climbed a 210-foot tower and successfully executed his jump. His first words when he got off the Cord? Give me back my teeth!
Dependency on Christ...beloved, if we ever make plans that we can accomplish in our own strength, without the miraculous intervention and power of Jesus -- we have planned too small. We need to get out there in the enemy’s minefields -- do a little bungee jumping. That’s trusting! Priority, humility, dependency, and...
FIDELITY
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36
John the Baptist said what no politically-correct 90’s man or woman would say -- He stated, without stuttering, that if you want to be right with God, trusting in Jesus, being faithful to Jesus alone, is the only way. Notice that there is no fence to straddle. You either believe on the Son, or the wrath of God abides on you. Some people who have never dealt with the matter of their own sin seem to have a notion that things are generally OK with God, unless you mess up major league. And then you’re excluded & have to do something nice, so God will like you again.
That may sound reasonable -- it’s just not Biblical. John said it clearly...if you don’t deal with your sin by accepting Jesus Christ, the wrath of God abides on you. Abiding means remaining or continuing. All of us are already on death row because of sin. Failure to accept Christ simply means we stay or remain there.
A man is thrown into jail by the Judge for refusing to testify in court. He is held in contempt. He doesn’t have to do anything to remain, or continue in that jail cell. The judge will hold him there until he agrees to speak up. In just the same way, a person who refuses to accept Christ remains in the pathway of God’s wrath. You don’t have to DO anything to be lost -- just remain where you are.
Now, the other side of that is to change. The other side of being lost is being saved. There is no big mystery here. You simply trust Christ. You set your seal that God is true. In ancient days kings and noblemen had signet rings. A document was signed with hot wax, and the imprint of that seal. This is what it means. You set your seal on Jesus Christ. You place your imprint for all the world to see that you belong to Him. Have you set your seal?
