He’s Built Different

If you have a Bible, go and grab it and turn it to the book of John. To the book of John. We've made a brief detour in the book of John as we've been going through the book of Genesis. We're actually going to wrap up these first three chapters now, as we finish chapter 3 and look at verses 22 through 36.

Now, if you don't have a Bible, you can use a pew Bible in front of you. If you don't own a Bible, we would love for you to just keep that copy of God's word. Feel free to take that; that would be our gift to you. We would love for you to have a copy of God's word that you could read for yourself and hear what the Lord has to say.

So, we'll be looking at the book of John. That's the fourth gospel in the New Testament. So, it's about four-fifths of the way through your Bible. We'll be looking at chapter 3, from verses 22 to 36. I'll read it for us.

After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized. John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, since John had not yet been thrown into prison. Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification. So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.” John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one accepts his testimony. The one who has accepted his testimony has affirmed that God is true. For the one whom God sent speaks God’s words, since he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hands. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

— John 3:22-36 (CSB)

Let's pray.

Lord, we pray this morning as we look to your word. The message could not be clearer. We want to see the Son. We want to believe in Him. We pray, Lord, that as we hear from your word this morning, our ears would be open and our hearts would be soft. We ask, God, that you would help us to believe and not reject the Son, so that in seeing you, we may be able to see life. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

We've been going through the book of John now for several months as we've looked at John outlining this beginning of Jesus's ministry. Honestly, every single sermon that goes through a gospel—that goes through these books that overview the life of Jesus—can be summed up with the same point: you need to believe in Jesus. That's really the idea. You could honestly summarize the entire Bible with that kind of message.

But John is doing something particular with the way that he ends this chapter. He is taking not just who Jesus is, but all of the themes of these first three chapters in the book of John and culminating them together in this final conclusion. He does it to communicate clearly that Jesus is the point. He's the point of your life; He is the point of this gospel. And secondly, that you are not the point. Jesus is the point, not you or me.

He does this by making one last comparison between Jesus and the one that Jesus calls in Matthew 11 the greatest man to have ever lived. I don't know about you, but I think Jesus is right. And John, in his response to his disciples, makes clear that Jesus is the point. So, you and I need to humble ourselves and exalt Him. That's the main point of our sermon this morning: Jesus is the point, so humble yourself and exalt Him.

First, we see this carnal kind of competition that shows up between John's disciples and what they're seeing in Jesus's ministry. Then we'll look at John's answer. He really gives his answer in two parts. He wants his disciples to understand that they need to know two things. First, you need to know your place. And second, you need to know the Son.

A Carnal Competition

Let's start by looking at this beef that arises between John's disciples and Jesus's ministry by looking at this carnal competition in verse 22. Read with me:

After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized. John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, since John had not yet been thrown into prison. Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification.

— John 3:22-25 (CSB)

This is right after Jesus talks with Nicodemus, and Jesus then heads back with his disciples to the Judean countryside and is baptizing. Now, if you ever wondered why Jesus is baptizing and what it would look like for Jesus to baptize, it's worth noting that Jesus Himself never baptized anybody. He's not the one in the water dunking anyone or submerging them into water. You can see that if you just keep reading your Bible. In chapter 4, verse 2, it says that Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were. So, it's not like there were people who got to walk around ancient Near Eastern Jerusalem saying, "I got baptized by the Son of God Himself." That's not what's going on here. But Jesus's disciples are going around and baptizing.

In any case, Jesus is continuing the ministry that He started. He is preaching about the kingdom of God. He is calling people to repent and to believe in Him. His disciples are out there baptizing as well. But there's a twist. John the Baptist, who pointed to Jesus in chapter 1—the one who was appointed as a herald to testify about this Word that became flesh—he's also there.

Notice that he was there baptizing because it says that there was plenty of water there. Any Baptist needs to talk about this verse! There was plenty of water there because baptism is typically understood to immerse or to submerge someone into water. That's part of the reason why, when Philip shares the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8, after Philip shares Jesus with this eunuch, the eunuch then points to a body of water and says, "Look, there is water. What would keep me from being baptized?" He doesn't ask Philip if he has a water bottle; he looks at a body of water. They go down into the water, and as the eunuch arises out of the water, Philip disappears. The same is the case here. John the Baptist is baptizing in Aenon because there was plenty of water there, and you need plenty of water if you're fully immersing someone.

So, it turns out that John the Baptist was indeed a Baptist! But it's a little weird, isn't it? To have Jesus there as His disciples are baptizing, and to have John the Baptist say, "I'm here baptizing also." It's a little bit of a strange image. This conflict comes to a head in verse 25:

Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification. So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.”

— John 3:25-26 (CSB)

John's disciples argue with a Jew about purification. We aren't exactly sure what the debate is about. What we do know is that it has to do with how one could be pure or ceremonially clean. To be honest, because it doesn't tell us here what the argument was about, I think that's on purpose.

Have you ever been in an argument with an argumentative person? Someone who's more interested in winning the argument than discovering the truth? You have a conversation with that person for hours, and you're listening just to pick apart that one little slip in their words. You grab ahold of it and you make a huge deal out of it, or they're trying to pin you down for what you said. After a while, you can tussle back and forth, and you may even end up saying, "What are we even talking about right now?" You might try to put a bow on it at the end by saying something like, "Well, it seems like we have different perspectives," or, "Thank God that He's all-knowing and we're not," or, "Man, we all definitely have some growing to do." But you end up walking away feeling a little unsettled inside.

Often, the reason why we feel unsettled isn't because we didn't resolve the issue. There are plenty of people with whom you can have a disagreement and still feel loved and cared for, and you walk away with no problem at all. We've all had conversations like that. The deeper issue has nothing to do with the resolution; it has to do with whether or not you feel respected. Someone pats you on the head and says, "It's okay, you'll understand when you get older." Someone shakes their head at you and says, "Okay, boomer." It doesn't matter whether it's age, gender, career, or intelligence; what eats at us is whether we feel respected.

I think that's exactly what's going on with John's disciples here. We don't know what triggered this argument or what the argument was about regarding purification. What we do know is their response. Based on their response, you could guess that maybe this Jew they were disagreeing with was saying, "Well, if what you're saying is so true, if what you think about purification is so right, then why are your crowds decreasing? Seems like John the Baptist isn't really the hot thing anymore. I see Jesus over there, and it seems like a lot more people are going to Him."

Sure, all of us can recognize this. And I hope all of us can recognize the perils of a people-driven ministry. I'm not talking about caring about people—we should all do that. I mean being driven by people, by momentum. That is dangerous for all of us, especially when we are encouraged by the visible fruit that the Lord is producing. I am so encouraged when I think about the life of this church and the Lord's faithfulness over the last couple of years. It's genuinely encouraging. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be encouraged by the Lord's work in our lives and in the life of this church. But when you get used to that—when you get used to seeing visible fruit in the life of God's people and in the life of this church—you can start to think that visible fruit is the only measure of success. That means when that visible fruit disappears, it becomes a measure of failure. That is simply not the case.

In any case, something about this dispute and this Jew's response to John's disciples triggers them enough to go back to their master and say, "John, Rabbi, the one that you testified about, who was with you, is baptizing. I mean, that's like your thing! And everyone's going to Him." Didn't you baptize Him? And now the student dares to be the master?

Know Your Place

John's response is that Jesus has always been the master. He responds in two parts. The first part: know your place. Look at verse 27:

John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’

— John 3:27-28 (CSB)

John begins by explaining to his disciples who he is. Just like he told the Jews in chapter 1, he is trying to tell his disciples, "Listen, the Messiah isn't me." But he doesn't start with his denial; he starts with a declaration: "No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven."

The source of John's ministry isn't John; it's God. Without Him, you can do nothing. Any effect from John's ministry wasn't because John was great, but because of God's work in John's life. He's not the victor; he's just a vessel. Any edification, any learning, any help that his disciples gained from him didn't ultimately come from John. It came from the Lord.

This is why no preacher should ever get high off of their own supply, because ultimately, there is no such thing as "your" sermon or "your" power. There is nothing that should be said behind this pulpit that has not been received from God. One practical way for you to encourage me as your pastor: don't just tell me that I had a good message. Now, some of you may be thinking, "Sweet, I don't have to lie today!" I'm not saying that you're committing some cardinal sin when you try to encourage me by telling me that I had a good sermon. What I mean is, what would really encourage me more than telling me that I had a good sermon is if you were to tell me how God encouraged you through His word. Because ultimately, what matters isn't what John the Baptist or John the Southern Baptist has to say, but what God has to say.

This is exactly why Paul, when he talks to the church in Corinth as they're getting caught up saying, "I follow Paul" or "I follow Apollos," responds by asking them, "What do you have that you have not received?" What does Paul have that he hasn't received from God? What does Apollos have to offer you that he hasn't received from God? If everything that you have is received, then that means everything you do or have is a gift. It comes from God.

It is precisely when we forget this that discontentment creeps in. We start to look down on others from our ivory towers of achievement or success, or we see other people succeeding and start to measure our own worth based on how they're doing. But when we remember what we are for, not only is exalting Christ the only appropriate response, but it also becomes the very source of our joy. That's what John is trying to show them here in verse 29:

“He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

— John 3:29-30 (CSB)

At weddings, I always get a kick out of watching the pastors who officiate. Particularly at the end of the ceremony, when the groom kisses the bride, many pastors flee from the stage. They try to move out of the way as quickly as possible because people are paying thousands of dollars for these wedding photographers, and the last thing they want to do is get in the way and accidentally photobomb the couple during their big moment with a dumb pastor's face in the background.

Now, imagine if you were officiating a wedding, and as you see the groom and the bride walk down the aisle and stand right here to say their vows, the whole time you were thinking to yourself, "Why do you guys have to make this all about you? You're so arrogant!" That wouldn't make any sense. The purpose of the wedding is to celebrate what God is doing in bringing the bride and the groom together. That's the whole point of a wedding ceremony. They are the point. The wedding event exists so that the guests, the officiant, and everyone else can celebrate what is happening in the life of this couple.

The same is true for all of life. All of existence is part of one cosmic, eternal event. God created the world out of an overflow of His goodness. He created man to be a steward to care for this good world. But in our sin, we rebelled against Him and disobeyed His commands. As a result, all of us deserve wrath and judgment for all of eternity in hell. But God, in His kindness, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross, to pay the penalty of sin, to rise from the dead victorious over sin and death, and to call believers to Himself through the proclamation of the good news. As sinners turn from their sin and trust in Christ, they are joined to the bride of Christ, the church, building up this bride until that faithful day when our Groom returns from the heavens, and we are reunited with Him to live an everlasting life with Him.

That's the whole point of all of existence. Imagine that glorious wedding ceremony where we, as the bride of Christ, finally get to see Jesus with our own eyes. In this eternal picture of Jesus and His bride together in eternal bliss, do you really want your face to be right there photobombing Him? Because that's exactly what we do when we make life about ourselves. No. When we decenter ourselves, when we see Jesus as the focal point of all of existence, when we understand that life exists not primarily to make us happy, but ultimately to bring Him glory, His glory becomes our joy. That's the whole point.

When you're the best man serving the groom, and you see the crowd delighting in the groom and the bride, that should bring joy into your heart. That's why I'm here. He must increase; I must decrease. The meaning of life doesn't begin in the first person; it begins in the third person. Jesus is the point. He must increase, and I must decrease.

This isn't just an ideal; this is a requirement. He must increase in glory and in fame. Unlike us, whenever we try to prop ourselves up or glorify ourselves, when Jesus is exalted, His actual, infinite value is simply more accurately reflected. You will never overhype Jesus. You will never overglorify Jesus. Jesus will never get too big for His britches, because Jesus is worthy of all praise from all peoples for all eternity. He must increase.

Which means you and I must decrease. In fact, any ounce of glory that you and I try to keep for ourselves is an overestimation of who we actually are. You must decrease. Anything that we take, anything that we claim for ourselves, is stealing the glory that Christ is due. John the Baptist doesn't describe himself as the groom or the officiant, but as the best man. He understands that his purpose is to serve the groom by being attentive to him. He does his job best when he fades into the background. It's not about him.

The same is true for us. We don't want to be impressive people. We don't want to be an impressive church. We want to be Christians and a church that lifts up an impressive Savior, saying, "He must increase, and I must decrease." We want to be a church that knows our place, because Jesus is worthy of all glory, praise, and honor for all eternity. This is why John the Baptist then pivots from talking about himself to talking about the Son who is the point.

Know the Son

Number two: know the Son. Read with me from verse 31:

“The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one accepts his testimony. The one who has accepted his testimony has affirmed that God is true.”

— John 3:31-33 (CSB)

Jesus is of the highest level of authority. He is from above, and He is above all. Jesus is King.

John's disciples seemed to be looking at John the Baptist and Jesus as though they were in competition with each other, trying to compare who had more followers on Twitter. John the Baptist is trying to explain that it's not that Jesus is just brighter, smarter, or funnier. This isn't a difference of degree, as though Jesus is simply a better teacher. Jesus is in a completely different category. At best, what John the Baptist can offer is earthly speech. But the One from heaven speaks in heavenly terms.

This is exactly what Jesus told Nicodemus, which we looked at last week. Only someone from heaven can talk about what heaven is like—and all those books where kids claim to go to heaven and come back are lying to you! Jesus is categorically better than John the Baptist because Jesus can say things that John the Baptist could never say. John could wrestle his whole life, train in the art of oratory for his entire existence, go to seminary, get doctorates in theology, and he would still never be able to say what Jesus can say.

I really love this pulpit. I love that it was built around the same time as this building, and that the wood matches the pews. I love that its angles match the angles of this room perfectly; it's like it was designed for this room. But most importantly, I love that this pulpit is big. I love that it is sturdy and doesn't go anywhere. It is intentionally big.

Did you know that one of the major shifts that happened during the Reformation was the construction of large pulpits? We celebrated Reformation Day just a couple of days ago. One of the things we celebrate when we look at the Reformation is the recovery of the central place of the word of God in the life of the church. The Reformers did this through two major movements. First, they made sure the pulpit was elevated over the Lord's table. They didn't do this because they thought the Lord's Supper was insignificant; they found it incredibly important for the life of the church. Communion is a wonderful, glorious thing. But the significance of the Lord's table comes from the gospel preached from the pulpit, which gives meaning to what happens at the table. So, they placed the pulpit right in the middle.

Second, they made sure the pulpit was large. This wasn't so they could hide the fact that the preacher was wearing shorts on a Sunday morning! The reason they constructed large pulpits was to make clear that what communicated life to the people of God was not anything the preacher came up with on his own. It's almost as if the pulpit swallows the preacher. I am like a tiny ant behind this big construction. I can't just move around and tell you interesting stories about my life; I am constrained behind this Book, because what brings life to the people of God is not anything I have to say, but what God has to say.

That is exactly what we value in what we call expository preaching. I think John the Baptist would have loved this—letting the content and intent of God's Word determine the content and the intent of the sermon. Because if what you get from behind the pulpit is only what John thinks, you will be limited to John's thoughts. I don't know about you, but that's not really worth thinking about! You will hear from an earthly man talking about earthly things, earthly jokes, earthly problems, and earthly solutions.

But what matters most to us as Christians is not earthly things; it's heavenly things. Your biggest problem is not your bills, your family drama, or what is going on at work. What matters most is your soul. What Jesus says isn't just His opinion; it is His kingly declaration. What you and I need to hear is not just interesting facts; we need to hear divine, royal truth.

Don't be surprised when those heavenly words aren't popular. That's exactly what John the Baptist talks about here: not everyone accepts this truth, because heavenly truth is hard to think about. It takes work. Have you ever opened your Bible—maybe you're thinking about starting a new Bible reading plan as the year ends—and you read a passage, your eyes looking at every single word, and then you look up and think to yourself, "I have no earthly idea what I just read"? The reason is because heavenly truth is hard. It takes thinking, and it cannot be affirmed on the basis of hype or public acceptance. No one defaults into thinking about divine things on autopilot. If your life is on autopilot, you will only deal with whatever is immediately in front of you until you die. Thinking about heavenly things takes effort.

Not only that, it takes faith—not just believing that what you're reading is true, but that Jesus has the authority to speak it. John is trying to stress to his disciples that Jesus absolutely does. You see that in verse 34:

“For the one whom God sent speaks God’s words, since he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hands.”

— John 3:34-35 (CSB)

God the Father loves the Son. Jesus identifies Himself earlier in this chapter, while talking to Nicodemus, as God's only begotten Son—begotten from the Father from eternity past, essence from essence, light from light. And God has given Him the Spirit without measure. This doesn't mean Jesus didn't have the Spirit and then God showed up with a present for Him to unwrap. No. This language of giving the Spirit without measure calls back to the Old Testament and flips it upside down.

Listen to these references. Isaiah was a prophet in the Old Testament who received the Spirit, and God told him in Isaiah 59:21:

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children’s children, from now on and forever,” says the Lord.

— Isaiah 59:21 (CSB)

Ezekiel also received the Spirit. In Ezekiel chapter 2, he writes:

The Spirit entered me as he spoke to me and set me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me.

— Ezekiel 2:2 (CSB)

Chapters 2 and 3 of Ezekiel are all about God giving Ezekiel His words. He eats a scroll that tastes like honey, and he is instructed to go speak that word to the people of Israel.

Daniel was also a prophet described as having the Spirit of God in him. In fact, even the pagans in the land of Babylon knew that Daniel had the Spirit of God. In Daniel 5:11, the queen tells King Belshazzar:

There is a man in your kingdom who has a spirit of the holy gods in him.

— Daniel 5:11 (CSB)

All of these men had the Spirit in them, and they spoke God's word. God the Father sent Jesus as a prophet to speak His words to His people, but it is different with Jesus because He doesn't just receive the Spirit in part. John the Baptist makes clear that Jesus receives the Spirit without measure. All of us who have the Spirit have limits. Ephesians 4:7 says that grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. But Jesus receives the Spirit without measure. This is an unlimited outpouring of the Spirit because Jesus doesn't just speak the words of God; Jesus is the Word of God.

This is John the author taking all the themes of chapter 1 and weaving them back into this story to show you exactly who Jesus is. He is the Word of God. He has the Spirit without measure. John the Baptist is saying, "Jesus's words can't even compare to what I have to say."

In fact, Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses's promise in Deuteronomy chapter 18. This is Moses, one of the greatest figures in the Old Testament, talking to the people of Israel in the Torah:

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. This is what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die!’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name.

— Deuteronomy 18:15-19 (CSB)

Moses is super clear. There will be a Prophet—not just a prophet, but the Prophet—who will come and speak the words of God. Anyone who listens to Him will be saved, and whoever does not listen to that Prophet will be held accountable. Jesus is the true and better Moses, the Prophet all the other prophets were pointing to, the Word of God who speaks God's words.

The Ultimate Choice

If God is going to hold accountable whoever does not listen to His words, it is no wonder that John, in verse 36, makes clear that God will judge whoever rejects Him:

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

— John 3:36 (CSB)

If John 3:16 is the good news, John 3:36 is why that good news matters. The way you respond to this King matters. If Jesus is the Son of God, if He is the Prophet-King whom the Father loves and has given everything to, then to not believe in Him—to reject Jesus—is to reject the very source of life itself. You are rejecting the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That isn't independent, innocent exploration of thought; that is rebellion. It says that the wrath of God remains on you.

If you don't know Jesus and you're here this morning, I am fearful for you, because the wrath of God isn't just something that is coming for you in the future; it is something that currently remains on you. That is what God's Word says. You see the dangerous consequences of rejecting Christ.

John the Baptist isn't just trying to reduce his own status and hype up Jesus a little bit so that his disciples will calm down. He is literally trying to save his followers from hellfire. He is saying, "This isn't just a matter of degree. If you reject Jesus, if you get jealous of Jesus, if you start comparing me with Jesus, you are going to go to hell." They were so caught up with wanting to see their leader respected that they missed the entire point of his message.

The same is true for you and me. We can get swept up in all sorts of distractions—wanting to police what other Christians do, whether in other churches or on social media. We can think about our own role in the Christian life or in this church, and start to want to make a name for ourselves alongside Jesus. But Jesus deserves our singular priority because Jesus is the only One who matters.

Think about it. Does music style really determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? Does whether or not your church has one or two services really determine whether or not you go to heaven or hell? Does someone's 280-character post on social media really determine whether or not they go to heaven or hell? There are so many things that we can get caught up on that are not necessarily unimportant in terms of our obedience in walking with Jesus, and yet we have to ask at the end of the day: what ultimately matters? Is it what they think of me? Is it the things that I feel like I should or should not be doing? Is it whether or not I get my way? What ultimately matters? Only one thing: His name is Jesus Christ. He is God's Son. He is God's true gift. He must increase; I must decrease.

I pray that all of us strive to have a ministry like John the Baptist. His effort to exalt Christ and humble himself succeeded. He basically dips out of the story after this section in John. He disappears and doesn't really do much else, but he does get mentioned later in John 10:41:

And many came to him. They said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.”

— John 10:41 (CSB)

I love that John was not that impressive. He didn't perform a sign, but everything he said about Jesus was true. I pray that is true for you. I pray it's true for me. I pray that is true for this church. Let's be Christians who are so zealous for Christ that our personalities fade into the background, where people walk away from this church saying, "Honestly, Artesia, not that impressive—but everything they said about Jesus was true."

Here is how this becomes good news for you and me. We've talked so much about God's glory, His greatness, and how He is exalted up into the heavens. How does this become good news for us if we are supposed to empty ourselves and decrease? Because the beautiful paradox of Christianity is that when you turn from your sin and trust in Christ—when you turn away and abandon everything that you try to withhold for yourself, whether it's your reputation, your possessions, or your control—you let it go. You say, "I must decrease; He must increase."

In doing so, not only do you receive forgiveness, but you receive Christ Himself. You gain Him. All of the exaltation and glory that Jesus gets as He increases translates into goodness and grace toward us. "The one who believes in the Son has eternal life." That is an unending fountain of goodness and grace for you and me. That truth—that you receive all that Jesus is—is the truth that will drain pride of its power. What do you have to prove? You have Christ. That is a truth that will deflate the pressure to prove yourself or protect yourself, because if you have Jesus, you have everything you will ever need.

It is no drudgery that He must increase and that we must decrease. If we are the bride of Christ, then all that He is becomes ours as we are united to Him. Like a bride delighting in her groom, all that he has becomes hers. In Christ, it is absolutely true: all is yours. What more could you possibly want? What more could you possibly ask for? You literally could not ask for more, because if Christ is all in all and you receive Him, then in worshiping Him, all glory, honor, and power given to Him becomes all grace, forgiveness, hope, and joy for you.

As the old hymn says:

The bride eyes not her garment, But her dear Bridegroom’s face; I will not gaze at glory, But on my King of grace; Not at the crown He giveth, But on His pierced hand; The Lamb is all the glory Of Immanuel’s land.

Let's pray.

Lord, we pray that you would help us to celebrate this truth. Lord, help us to fade into the background, to reduce ourselves, so that you may be exalted, so that you may be clearer, so that you may be high and lifted up. Help us to treasure your word, to believe it, and to follow it in such a way that brings you ultimate glory. We ask, Lord, that you would come again soon, so that we can see you and see all this hope and joy that we long for fully realized in your kingdom. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.