John 3:22-36 - John the Baptist Testemoney about Jesus.
Notes
Transcript
John 3:22-36 – John’s Witness about Jesus.
Recap:
Today we will hear from John (the Baptist) again, and in more in depth about his role and about Who Jesus is. Read text.
We read that Jesus and his disciples went onto the Judean countryside and baptized people, and also John (the Baptist) had people coming to him and getting baptized. We hear from John the writer that John was not put in prison yet. (This would be news for some but might not be for many that knew what happed to John). In verse 25 –discussion that seemed to be ongoing about purification (Jesus said he is cleansing people and the temple), brings Johns disciples back to John and they start asking questions. They ask why are people going to Jesus? The one you witness about and he is baptizing and all are going to him, we will be unemployed soon, - we will have no one coming to us. (What about us and you?)
John responds: A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
Hey we are only doing what God has asked us to do, we can’t do things if it has not been given from heaven. I have done the job I was send to do. It was not my mission to exalt myself but to point to the one coming after me. (All good and true gifts are from heaven given by God – and we can’t get good things from heaven that are not given by God). (Just a small pause – what about you? Is this how you live your life? Or do you seek things that are not given from above, praise of man, popularity, power, the American dream/ or the happy life, comfort?). Are you more about what God has for you, that what you want? And how do you know the difference? I think we can see that in John’s story. John is not jumping to get Jesus’ glory, or make much of himself, but will in the following point to Jesus again.
Verse 28 John said you know what I said about myself that I am not the Christ, but was send before him.
John is not sad, no as we read his joy is complete, - how, let’s see. He uses the picture of a weeding, and as the friend of the bridegroom hears his voice, he rejoices greatly, when he hears the bridegrooms voice. – In other words, John was calling people to repent and get ready for the Christ, and now Jesus had come and John was rejoicing that he was here. And he said in verse 30, He must increase, but I must decrease, That Johns time was almost over, and that his joy was complete as he saw Jesus come and that he would be the Christ the, one long awaited one the anointed one. John knew that it was not about him, it was about what Jesus was going to do. He is able not to look to his own interests but to what God was going to do in Jesus.
John will explain that He /Jesus that is from above, is above all. Jesus is from heaven and is above all, there is none that compare. And there is an interlude that the one from earth speaks in and earthly way, - is this addressing Johns disciples that think they are losing something, followers, influence? And state it again that He who comes from heaven is above all. (Jesus). And that Jesus’s bear witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony, (again as was stated in the introduction, 1:11). But whoever as we talked about a few times in John, that whoever, receives Jesus’ testimony, trusts that God it true, and what Jesus’ witness is true. Because the one God send Jesus speaks the word of God, and they are true because God gave his Spirt in abundance to Jesus. In 35 The love of the God the Father was not only for the world but also for his son, God loved his son and has given all things into his hand. (Jesus is able to do all the things that is required of him, healing making food, rebuking people and demons and so on, all things are in Jesus hands given by God).
In the English we get the word again – Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; it is open for all, to come and believe to follow Jesus to trust He is speaking the words of God, that he is above all that he was send form heaven, that He is filled with the Spirt of God and able to do all things that God has given all things in to his hands. That God loved the world loved the Son, - and that life is in the only son of God, -obey him and live in him. To his disciples John is look we are mostly done here, Jesus is the one you should follow, because He is the one, I said he is the Christ, the Son of God send from heaven. Trust in him and not you own works, or ambitions of having followers and don’t feel bad for me my Joy is complete I was waiting and now I heard his voice and saw Him coming. Trust in him.
- but whoever does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him. As we started this conversation about purification, let me close with this John said, - if people don’t obey the son, there is no purification for sins and the wrath of God remains on him.
We could ask our self, is our joy complete in Jesus Christ? Or are we looking for Joy in other places are we looking to increase? In what the world can give? Does that lead us to disobedience against Jesus?
What great peace and joy is found in complete joy in Jesus. The true life in Jesus Christ abundant, and giving up our life, because full joy is found in Christ, - then death to self and carrying our cross, becomes true life, John did great he lifted up Jesus, was obedient. And lost his head. But not his life in Christ and the cleansing from God. His trust was in Who God was and His Son send to the world.
Do you like to obey? PPT humbleness.
(John’s example of making Jesus bigger and our self smaller and also what we are given form God is what our job and obedience is about not to gather disciples after us, but to point to Jesus at the one they should be disciples of).
Examples of waiting:
People in an airport waiting – Groom for the Bride – for rain – people at sea -
