Jesus as above all

Introduction:  Participating with God, or  trying to watch from the sidelines

John 3:30–He must increase, but I must decrease.”

-John’s purpose was to convince his followers by foregoing whatever blocked a way for Jesus to be exalted in His ministry

-Which makes us ask the question with our lives?-Are we living a life that is truly exalting God, or a life that looks for God to exalt us, which blocks Jesus?

Ex:  A prayer life that looks for blessings from God, and no sacrifice to exalt God-fails to understand the servant relationship we should have (we are really looking to be served/exalted)

-we have the tendency to think God does things without our participation-when in reality as the body of Christ we are to be co-laborers in what God is doing

1 Corinthians 3:6-For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Ex:  praying for our children to know Christ, yet we live a selfish indulgent life-thinking that it should cost God everything and us nothing…

-John’s premise of his life was that we cannot expect God to increase-while we live to increase, “that I be exalted while God is exalted”

But it must be “either or”, that in order for God to increase in our life-humbling myself by figthing to remove whatever is in the way of God increasing is the only way…(that could be an attitude, a mentality, or a lifestyle)

 

Reversing our pride to “abound”

Philippians 4:12-13–I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

-our natural tendency is to want to abound, because being abased is not impressive-but by never learning how to be brought low we never learn contentment in humility/submitted life. (because we believe contentment is abundance)

-But the humbling situations we find ourselves in-are really to learn how to be contented and dependent on God-(not on the things that make us feel like we are exalted beyond measure)

1 Cor inthians 4:6–I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.

-Paul’s goal was not to appear “exalted above what is or written”-which is an attitude that lives submitted to someone Christ the Living Word Ex:  How many of us go out of our way to make sure people don’t see us as exalted?

-But if I am trying to be impressive, who is increasing and who is decreasing?-There is no grey area or neutral, it is either I am striving to be exalted/more famous above who is greater than me (which is why pride is delusional, or I am living out the reality of Jesus being above all! )

Ex: how can I walk around like I am so much better than you-when I am humbling myself for God to be exalted…

-We generally don’t pick to be humble, God uses life, lived in our pride to make us humble-and then live out a humbling situaiton, for Him to increase!

-if we don’t learn that lesson, we then strive to abound again!-proving that we haven’t learned that contentment is in God, (and not being made much of in abounding, with what I can get or achieve)

 

Making clear distinctions in order to esteem God

John 3:31-36–He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.

-Much like John we are called to affirm the testimony of Jesus that He is above all-which should imply a desire to obey Him/exalt Him.

-John is at “a crossroads,” where he lived out a time period where he was abounding (ministry was extremely fruitful)-yet still found his contentment in God…

-But now that Jesus is on the scene, he must humble himself more-and see his ministry be put to the side, for Jesus to be clearly seen and properly exalted...(now John is learning how to live more abased than ever)

Ex:  life is about “seasons”, where we must learn to live submissive in all seasons-b/c only in submission will we find contentment in God, (not in the circumstances and seasons we are in)

-We can live naive, expecting God to always have us abound in circumstances-and get depressed when we are humbled/abased, proving our contentment is in an expectation to abound, not in God if we don’t…

-It is a powerful witness to find contentment in seasons of humiliation-because it proves that our contentment is not on par with the world, but the One who is above all!

–Becasue I could be living a life that really affirms God up to a “point”-and that “point”, is when it clashes with me being esteemed and exalted, versus decreasing and being humiliated. (John proves his devotion to live to exalt Jesus in a humbling season)

The parable of the “shallow soil”-when people fall away in a time persecution/ humiliation they prove to have no root

 

Faith-filled promoting of Jesus

John 3:32-34 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

-things get pruned in our lives, to see if we are more in love with the blessing God gives, than God Himself-what if John was more in love with his ministry and influence than God?

–John understands that his life and ministry was to testify about Jesus being true, His character-how do we perpetuate this same mentality of John?.. we receive His Word and do it, which affirms His charactger

–because Jesus is from above and speaks the truth-than shouldn’t He increase over whatever is in the way of Him increasing?=Faith

-because whatever is stopping Him is a lie-and that lie could be me and the way I think about Him, influenced by Satan

–When Satan asked Eve “did God really say”, he questions God’s character-for her to entertain increasing over God, as better than decreasing!–(the lie is that pride and being exalted=disobediecne, is better than submission and being humble=submission to the Word)

-This is why in order to live like John I have to believe His testimony that Jesus is true and that I should decrease-affirming the testimony that God is true…

-but when we live without any submission to His Word that bears witness to Him being true-I believe the lie, that increasing is better than decreasing when it comes to serving God.

Ex: think about any rebellious child and the lie they believe is-that increasing and doing what I want, is better than decreasing and submitting to authority

-If I am truly looking to bear witness about this testimony of Jesus being true and sent from the Father-am I seeking the voice of God in order to exalt God and bear witness about Him by my faith/obedience? (Or I am submitted to the lie that exalts me over God)

 

Conclusion:  Revealing our status before God

John 3:35-36–The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

-John knew the essence of his position/life, and didn’t delude himself with the idea-that being great for God has anything to do with living a life that fuels his pride=exalted 

-The biblical idea that John grasped in being great for God-came at the expense of letting go of everything that people perceived about what made him great. 

-John is dismantling his ministry for the purpose of God to be made clear-that Jesus is the point and always was the point of his ministry. 

–Had John lived as if his ministry and image were the point-at the time God demanded it be shut down for Jesus, he wouldn’t of been able to let go...(proving that he lived for himself and his pride just like the world)

1 John 2:15-17-Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

Ex:  Is that the point of life, family, and professions?-about how exalted I can look in the eyes of people around me?  (Which in turn excludes Jesus and His influence to be exalted in His greatness…)

–The dilemma we find ourselves in when we are not obedient to lay down our lives for Jesus to increase,-is that we expect God to bless, while we live hostile to Him being exalted!-(that is the mentality of the world)

 James 4:6-7-But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

-James says, resist the devil, which desires for you and I to live in our pride-that Christ not be exalted in being humbly submitted to and therefore exalted

-The warning from John, is that if our lifestyle is filled with disobedience-than we prove the wrath of God remains on us

When God is leading us, obedience will always humble us in what us think should happen-to do what exalts God, which may not make sense at the time, but we prove we trust Him above all=obedience to His Word for His fame/glory