<\/p>\n
22\u00a0<\/sup>After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and\u00a0was baptizing.<\/span>\u00a023\u00a0<\/sup>John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized<\/span>\u00a024\u00a0<\/sup>(for\u00a0John had not yet been put in prison).<\/span><\/p>\n 25\u00a0<\/sup>Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over\u00a0purification.<\/span>\u00a026\u00a0<\/sup>And they came to John and said to him,\u00a0\u201cRabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan,\u00a0to whom you bore witness\u2014look, he is baptizing, and\u00a0all are going to him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a027\u00a0<\/sup>John answered,\u00a0\u201cA person cannot receive even one thing\u00a0unless it is given him\u00a0from heaven.<\/span>\u00a028\u00a0<\/sup>You yourselves bear me witness, that I said,\u00a0\u2018I am not the Christ, but\u00a0I have been sent before him.\u2019<\/span>\u00a029\u00a0<\/sup>The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.\u00a0The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,\u00a0rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.<\/span>\u00a030\u00a0<\/sup>He must increase, but I must decrease.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V. 27<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the issues raised here was that essentially John was losing his followers, as they were all going to Jesus. You can imagine that John\u2019s disciples that were still with him were a bit concerned as to what was going on. Seems like they were much like Jesus\u2019 disciples, who though Jesus told them things directly, they did not seem to get it.<\/span><\/p>\n Verse 27 begins John\u2019s response to this perceived problem. He begins by recognizing the giver of all things; in a sense saying, \u201cthey are not mine to lose. They do not belong to me.\u201d \u201cA person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.\u201d Saying, \u201cfrom heaven\u201d is a way of saying \u201cfrom God.\u201d So when John is \u201closing followers,\u201d he recognizes the giver of all and is content. He\u2019s fine with it. What was a problem for his disciples and this Jew, was not a problem for John the Baptist.<\/span><\/p>\n This is a great point of consideration for us in our own lives, as what John says here is transcendent: \u201cA person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.\u201d James 1:17, \u201cEvery good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights\u2026\u201d What good things do you have in your life? It was given to you by God. What knowledge and understanding of the truth do you have? It was given to you by God. So like John \u201closing\u201d his followers, when you begin to \u201close\u201d things in your life – people, things – can you say with John, \u201cHe must increase, but I must decrease\u201d? When you recognize that everything you have is given by God and can be gone in a moment, you can be okay, you can be content, when they are taken away. Much like Job, He gives and He takes away. Theology is very practical. A lot of this has to do with understanding who God is and understanding our place in the world. God is God who has every right to give and take according to His will, and we are but sinful creatures who deserve nothing but wrath for sin, yet we have received so much mercy and grace from God. So whatever we have or don\u2019t have in this life, is okay, because He is God and we have Christ. When things are taken from us, and it just destroys us, more than it should, where it goes into sin, it is often because that person or thing had become a god to us. But when God is our God and Jesus is our Savior, whatever the pain or difficulty of loss, we have not lost our God, and we have not lost our Savior.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V. 28<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After grounding his response in the God-ness of God and the humanness of humans, John, then, in verse 28, reminds them of the testimony of what he had been preaching, and to which, they were witnesses to: that he was not the Christ, but he was sent before the Christ, to prepare the way, and point to the Christ. So in one sense he\u2019s saying, \u201cthis should be no surprise that the crowds are going to Jesus, I testified to Him.\u201d In another sense this is also a great validation of John\u2019s preaching. They were witnesses to John\u2019s testimony to Jesus Christ, pointing to Him and preparing the way. And now the crowds are beginning to shift from John to Jesus. This is the very thing that he preached and wanted to take place. John was not a liar. He was telling the truth.<\/span><\/p>\n So we saw in verse 27 that John grounded his response first in God. Then secondly, in verse 28, he continues his response based upon the hard cold objective facts of his testimony, to which there were more than enough of a biblical amount of witnesses to, to establish and confirm his testimony.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V. 29<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, here in verse 29, John gives a mini parable that describes this situation.He is giving a parabolic explanation of his joy that he has in this situation.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n V. 30<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Beyond being a classic statement of humility, there are a couple ways that we can understand verse 30.<\/p>\n Covenantally<\/em><\/p>\n Jesus began preaching the kingdom of heaven while the Old Covenant was still in force, and there will still sacrifices being made after the resurrection of Christ, until AD 70. The relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus was just a little snapshot of that larger theme of transition. It was now time for the Baptist to decrease, and the Messiah to increase.<\/span><\/p>\n Eschatologically <\/em><\/p>\n Isaiah 9:6-7, \u201cFor to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Of the INCREASE…there will be NO END\u2026 I wonder if John the Baptist had this Scripture in mind when he said, \u201cHe must increase, but I must decrease.\u201d So the Old Testament prophets told us that the government, or the kingdom of Christ would be one that increases, but also Jesus Himself taught this in the New Testament. <\/span>I will point you to Matthew 13:31-33 to see for yourself. The nature of the Kingdom of God is that it increases. So as Jesus comes preaching the Kingdom, it must now increase, and John must decrease.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Application: His increasing, our decreasing, completes joy and glorifies God.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Think about your own life, and how this principle applies to the Christian life. A Christian cannot be happy in sin, not with the true joy of the Lord. When we are full of ourselves, or full of our sin, our joy will be greatly diminished, because Jesus is diminished in our lives, in terms of communion and walk with Him. But when we decrease, and Jesus increases, our joy is made complete. In that situation we are essentially having our joy made complete because Christ is glorified in us, and then in turn, God is glorified when our joy is complete because Christ is glorified and exalted.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus increased by \u201cdecreasing\u201d (his humiliation, life, cross, etc.)<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Think about this principle in the life of Jesus. In one sense he increased by \u201cdecreasing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This is how Jesus continues to increase in the world, by our decreasing (the martyrs, for example). When we are mocked, belittled, shot at, persecuted, imprisoned, and killed, we\u2019re actually winning. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. And the thing is, we need to think that way, so that when those times come, we are not discouraged, and filled with despair, but we are hopeful, and confident in the promises of God. The problem is that most Christians don\u2019t think that way. They don\u2019t think that we are winning when Christians are being beaten in communist prison cells. But we are.<\/span><\/p>\n I think of the way that Doug Wilson tells the story of Christian martyrs Latimer and Ridley in 16th century England, as they are about to be burned at the steak for their faith, <\/span>as the flames were kindled, Latimer said, \u2018Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God\u2019s grace in England as shall never be put out.\u201d <\/span>So they are about to be burned at the stake and their mindset was, \u201cWe\u2019ve got them now.\u201d They\u2019re surrounded by an angry crowd and their mindset is, \u201cWe\u2019ve got them right where we want them.\u201d\u00a0 They knew and believed that their decreasing was the increasing of the church, the gospel, and the kingdom of Christ in the world. We increase by decreasing.<\/span><\/p>\n I think of the story of Gideon here (Judges 7). Gideon has his army together, and God tells him, \u201cthe people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me ,saying, \u2018my own hand has saved me.\u2019\u201d So God has Gideon send about 22,000 of them home. Nope, the 10,000 left are still too many. God gives Gideon the water drinking test, and whittles Gideon\u2019s army down to 300 men. That was the right amount not to be beat. They needed to decrease, and God increased.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Application of v. 30 principle: If we want to increase in joy, contentedness, etc. then we need to decrease, and Christ must increase.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You know the crazy thing about the gospel is that often times our sin doesn\u2019t seem to be decreasing. There are times where it just increases more and more. And yet, in the gospel, where our sin abounds, God\u2019s mercy abounds all the more. Our sins they are many, His mercy is more. Because Christ \u201cdecreased\u201d at the cross, His mercy, grace, and forgiveness, increases all the more over our massive amount of sin. His grace, is more massive.<\/span><\/p>\n Because of that, He works in our lives, and by His grace and power, the presence of our sin, really can decrease. The glory of God\u2019s saving grace in Christ is increased when His great mercy and grace overcomes a wildly profuse sinner, and the glory of God\u2019s grace in Christ is also increased when His great mercy and grace, increases in a sinner\u2019s life and decreased their sin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Would you have the increase of Christ\u2019s mercy and grace in your life?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 22\u00a0After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and\u00a0was baptizing.\u00a023\u00a0John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized\u00a024\u00a0(for\u00a0John had not yet been put in prison). 25\u00a0Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":3830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,25,30,32],"tags":[173,205,274,361,446,557,562,592,636,649,678,679,687,699,765,852,867,1014,1056,1105,1114,1229],"class_list":{"0":"post-3826","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-faith","9":"category-preaching","10":"category-theology","11":"tag-baptist","12":"tag-bible","13":"tag-christ","14":"tag-decrease","15":"tag-eschatology","16":"tag-god","17":"tag-gospel","18":"tag-he","19":"tag-i","20":"tag-increase","21":"tag-jenkins","22":"tag-jesus","23":"tag-john","24":"tag-joshua","25":"tag-lord","26":"tag-must","27":"tag-new","28":"tag-rags","29":"tag-riches","30":"tag-scripture","31":"tag-sermon","32":"tag-testmaent","33":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/08\/john_the_baptist.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3747,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/how-jesus-takes-away-the-sin-of-the-world-commentary-on-john-129-34\/","url_meta":{"origin":3826,"position":0},"title":"How Jesus Takes Away the Sin of the World: Commentary on John 1:29-34","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"April 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 29\u00a0The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, \u201cBehold,\u00a0the Lamb of God, who\u00a0takes away the sin\u00a0of the world!\u00a030\u00a0This is he of whom I said,\u00a0\u2018After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.\u2019\u00a031\u00a0I myself did not know him, but\u00a0for this purpose I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/04\/jordanriveras_hdv.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/04\/jordanriveras_hdv.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/04\/jordanriveras_hdv.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/04\/jordanriveras_hdv.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":468,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/behold-the-lamb-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":3826,"position":1},"title":"Behold, the Lamb of God","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I was recently reading John 1 v 29-51, saw some magnificent things, and now I have to write about it. So before you read this, read that passage to get some context on what I'm saying. Now that you've read the passage, let's dive right in. v 29 begins with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"baptist\"","block_context":{"text":"baptist","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/tag\/baptist\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3750,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/we-have-found-the-messiah-john-135-42\/","url_meta":{"origin":3826,"position":2},"title":"We Have Found the Messiah, John 1:35-42","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"May 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Introduction \u00a0 Upon an initial reading of this passage, it may seem to be just a mundane text that narrates us from one point to the next without any real significance to us beyond just explaining the first disciples of Jesus. However, that is just not so. There is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/05\/photo-1526749837599-b4eba9fd855e.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/05\/photo-1526749837599-b4eba9fd855e.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/05\/photo-1526749837599-b4eba9fd855e.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/05\/photo-1526749837599-b4eba9fd855e.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4502,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/jesus-prays\/","url_meta":{"origin":3826,"position":3},"title":"Jesus Prays","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We embark this afternoon on a journey within a journey. Going through the Gospel of John is a journey we are on, and as we set out into chapter 17, it will be a journey of its own. There are so many great chapters in John, and to have one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/06\/upper-room.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/06\/upper-room.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/06\/upper-room.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/06\/upper-room.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/06\/upper-room.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/06\/upper-room.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4804,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/jesus-appears-to-his-disciples\/","url_meta":{"origin":3826,"position":4},"title":"Jesus Appears to His Disciples","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"March 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"19\u00a0On the evening\u00a0of that day, the first day of the week,\u00a0the doors being locked where the disciples were\u00a0for fear of the Jews,[a]\u00a0Jesus came and stood among them and said to them,\u00a0\u201cPeace be with you.\u201d\u00a020\u00a0When he had said this,\u00a0he showed them his hands and his side. Then\u00a0the disciples were glad when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/kelly-sikkema-Wni6RtcNhU8-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/kelly-sikkema-Wni6RtcNhU8-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/kelly-sikkema-Wni6RtcNhU8-unsplash.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/kelly-sikkema-Wni6RtcNhU8-unsplash.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/kelly-sikkema-Wni6RtcNhU8-unsplash.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/kelly-sikkema-Wni6RtcNhU8-unsplash.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4889,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/after-they-had-finished-breakfast\/","url_meta":{"origin":3826,"position":5},"title":"After They Had Finished Breakfast","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"March 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"15\u00a0When they had\u00a0finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,\u00a0\u201cSimon,\u00a0son of John,\u00a0do you love me more than these?\u201d\u00a0He said to him, \u201cYes, Lord; you know that I love you.\u201d He said to him,\u00a0\u201cFeed\u00a0my lambs.\u201d\u00a016\u00a0He said to him a second time,\u00a0\u201cSimon, son of John, do you love me?\u201d\u00a0He said to him, \u201cYes,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/breakfast_dawn.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}