Our church vision statement starts with:

We as a church exist to glorify God by:

Exalting our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We chose the name Christ the Redeemer for our church to emphasize this point. One of the doctrinal standards we subscribe to is The Westminster Standards. The first question of The Shorter Catechism is:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

So, we believe exalting and glorifying Christ is important. But how do we do that?

In today’s passage, John the Baptist gives us a simple creed for a Christ-exalting life: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jhn 3:30). These seven words challenge us. Will our doctrine, our service, our relationships, and even our salvation be ordered around making much of Christ or making much of ourselves?

As we examine John 3:22-36, we will see that John the Baptist exalted Jesus by embracing his God-given place, declaring Christ’s divine supremacy, and directing sinners to salvation in the Son. He did so by:

Humbly avoiding doctrinal and personal pride
Humbly exalting Jesus as divine, and
Humbly presenting God’s plan for salvation

Before we dive into our passage, I want to give a brief overview of the events of the Gospel of John and John the Baptist’s life leading up to this passage.

In Jhn 20:31, the apostle John writes, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. He starts with the famous prologue giving an overview of the entire gospel. John then turns to the witness of John the Baptist “as a witness, … about the light, that all might believe through him.” (Jhn 1:7)

From the time of John’s conception, Scripture records that his life purpose would be to prepare the way for the Lord. (Luk 1:16-17, 76-79, Jhn 1:23). During his ministry he called people to repentance and to look to the Messiah who was coming and was at hand. (Mat 3:2, Mrk 1:4, Luk 3:3) His popularity grew among the people. (Mat 3:5, Mrk 1:5, Luk 3:10).

In John chapter 1:19-37, we see the Jews (in John’s gospel this term is most often used to represent the Jewish religious establishment who opposed Christ) coming to John to ask about his ministry. He clearly stated to them that he was not the Christ but came to bear witness to him. He declared Jesus as, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v29) and he pointed at least two of his disciples to Jesus and they followed Him. (vv 35-37)

After this, Jesus called his first disciples, performed the miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and went to Jerusalem for the Passover feast and cleansed the temple. He did many signs so that people were believing in Him (2:23). He then had a deep conversation with Nicodemus in the first part of chapter 3 in which Jesus declared, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (3:3) and,

3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

So, with this background, let’s look at our text.

Jhn 3:22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

31 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. 32 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. 35 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.

Humbly Avoid Doctrinal and Personal pride

As Jesus’ ministry begins to draw attention, John the Baptist’s own followers face the temptation to protect their teacher’s platform rather than rejoice in Christ’s rise.

John the Baptist’s desire, however, was to fulfil his role as the forerunner to Jesus and to exalt Christ, exemplified in his statement, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (v 30) Let’s first look at how John the Baptist exalted Christ by humbly avoiding doctrinal and personal pride.

From the apostle John’s gospel, we see that there was a period of overlap of John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ ministries, before John the Baptist was put in prison. (v24) Jesus and his disciples moved from Jerusalem into the Judean countryside (v22) where John had previously been preaching and baptizing (Mat 3:1, Mrk 1:4-5). It appears that one of John’s first acts of humility was to move north to Aenon near Salim (v23) in the region between Samaria and the Decapolis (Holman Bible Atlas p218), thus making room for Jesus and his disciples.

This overlap in ministry created tension as “a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification.” (v25). Other translations use a question (KJV), a dispute (NKJV, NASB, HCSB), an argument (NIV); or a matter of controversy (Thayer) over purification/purifying or ceremonial washing (NIV). We are not told the nature of that discussion, but it seems to be clearly linked to the baptisms that were occurring in vv 22-23. Maybe it was over the exact meaning of the baptism or maybe it was over the mode and manner of the baptism. Things that even to this day are hotly debated among followers of Christ. Whatever it was, John the Baptist, did not get distracted over this, but kept his mission on exalting Jesus in focus. I’ll have more to say on this later.

Another evidence of John the Baptist’s humility was recognizing his life’s purpose and his place in redemptive history. We know that at least some of John’s disciples had left to follow Jesus at his urging. But many remained. As is often the case with great men, their followers are very loyal and jealous for them. It was the same for John the Baptist’s disciples. Jesus said that among those born of women none was greater than John (Luk 7:28, Mat 11:11). So, In v26, John’s disciples express concern over losing influence and come to him and say, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

Did John respond, “Hey you’re right. We need to do something about this. Let’s strategize how we can get more followers and woo back those who have left us to follow this Jesus.” No! He was not drawn into rivalry. He responded with humility and recognized his role in the story and that his time had come and was passing. Now it was time for Jesus to shine. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (v30)

John the Baptist knew he had been given a specific task and that “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” (v27) All that he had done to this point was a gift to him, according to God’s redemptive plan. And he knew his role. He told his disciples, “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’” (v28). In v29, he then uses the metaphor of marriage recognizing that the great redemptive story unfolding was not about him, but about Christ, the bridegroom of the bride, the church. And he experienced much joy - in fact, complete joy - in fulfilling his role as “the friend of the bridegroom.”

So, we see, John exalting Christ with his declaration, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” by humbly avoiding doctrinal and personal pride.

Humbly Exalt Jesus As Divine

Next, we see John the Baptist putting this “creed” into practice by humbly teaching his disciples the divine nature of Christ. He tells his disciples, “Don’t look to me; look to Christ the God-man, because He was sent from heaven and has all authority and because He has the Spirit without measure and speaks the truth, the words of God.

John humbly exalted Christ by declaring that He came from heaven above (v31) and that He was sent from God (v34). And because he was sent from heaven above and from God, He is above all, and all things are in His hand (v35). This speaks to Jesus’ authority as God and of His authority over all His creation. In Mat 28:18 Jesus proclaimed, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

John also humbly exalted Christ by stating He had the Spirit in full measure (v34) and that He spoke the truth (v33) - the words of God (v34). The Holy Spirit inspired all of Scripture (2Pe 1:21), and the prophets and apostles were given a measure of the Spirit to speak the truth. But Jesus (“the Word incarnate” as the apostle John describes Him in his prologue 1:1,14), exists in perfect communion with the Spirit always speaking the truth of God in love to us, like no other man did. “He (Jesus) [bore] witness to what he [had] seen and heard” (v32) as He experienced the perfect love of the Father (v35) and the full measure of the Spirit from eternity past.

So, in this passage we not only see John the Baptist exalting Christ by humbly avoiding doctrinal and personal pride, but also by humbly exalting Christ as the God-man who came from heaven, the one who has all authority, and the one who is full of the Spirit and utters God’s word, the truth.

Humbly Present God’s Plan for Salvation

We also see John humbly exalt Christ by presenting God’s plan for salvation

Jesus had earlier declared:

Most did not receive Jesus’ testimony (v32) but John the Baptist did, and he repeats it here in v36, “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.” The apostle John wrote in Jhn 1:11-12:

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

John the Baptist tells us, “Whoever receives [Jesus’] testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.” (v33) John the apostle put it this way in 1Jn 5:10 “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.”

In v35, John tells us about the motivation for this salvation, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” I believe John the Baptist especially has in mind here, the church, due to his imagery of the bridegroom having his bride in v29. We also see this imagery in Eph 5:22-33 where Paul proclaims the profound mystery of the love of a husband for his wife in marriage, reflecting Christ’s love for the church. This imagery is also prominent in Revelation, where the church is described as the “Bride” of Christ (Rev 19:7; 21:2,9; 22:17). What great love the Father has for the Son and the Son for the church!

John the apostle wrote in 1Jn 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Rom 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And in Rom 8:38-39 it says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the love John presents to us through the gospel.

So, by declaring the same gospel that Jesus taught, John exemplified his “creed:” He must increase, but I must decrease. John is pointing his disciples to the true testimony - the only way they can be saved; and it is through Christ, not through him.

Application:

So we have seen, John followed his “creed” (“He must increase, but I must decrease”) by: refusing rivalry, exalting Christ above himself, and calling people to receive the Son. Our lives should reflect a similar response.

Like him, we have a purpose in life, and it is to point-to and to glorify Christ. Some reflection questions to ask yourself are, “Am I doing this because of my own wants/desires? Am I doing this to make much of myself or to make much of Christ? Paul said in 2Co 5:9, “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him;” and in 1Co 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” And Peter said in 1Pe 4:11, “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Let’s make it our aim to magnify Christ in all that we think, say, and do.

We can follow John’s example of exalting Christ by holding our doctrinal and life convictions with humility. If we keep the gospel central in our lives, we will not become prideful that our doctrine and practice is more biblical than others. Remember Jam 4:6, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” And Gal 5:25-26 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

One of the ways we have tried to put this into practice at CTR is not to divide over the issue of the timing and mode of baptism. We allow for both infant and believer baptism; and for the option of sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. We leave that decision to the head of household of each family unit, according to their convictions. We believe that exalts Christ.

Let’s ask ourselves, “Are there doctrines and convictions in my life that I’m elevating above the gospel?”

Another thing we should guard against is elevating others or ourselves above Christ. A temptation for teachers and others in authority is to seek to honor themselves and to have people worship them. A temptation for learners and disciples is to elevate and valorize their teachers and leaders. Paul wrote in 1Co 3:4-7

4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Paul and John both put into practice, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” May we do the same.

Perhaps the most profound way of putting “He must increase, but I must decrease” into action is our response to the gospel. At the most basic level, the gospel confronts us in our pride. Are we depending on our own wisdom, material success, power and strength, or our “good” deeds to save us? We must humbly acknowledge that we can do nothing in our own strength and that all our “good deeds” are as filthy rags (Isa 64:6) apart from Jesus. As Eph 2 instructs us, we must acknowledge that we are dead in our sins and can do nothing to save ourselves:

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—… 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

As Nate has been preaching in 2Co 10:17, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” In receiving the gospel, we decrease, and Christ increases and He is exalted. Have you done that? Believing and receiving Christ as your Savior and Lord is the first step in exalting Christ in your life. If you would like to know more about that, talk with me or one of the other elders or your parents.

We can also exalt Christ in our response to a person receiving the gift of eternal life. Jesus told us, “there is joy in heaven and before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:7,10) Just as John responded with joy at the bridegroom having his bride (v29), let us rejoice when we see a person respond to the gospel with belief.

For those of us who have believed and received the gift of salvation, consider how you share your testimony. Are we boasting in the Lord? Is Christ exalted? Is your testimony centered around your “decision” and your “life story,” or is it centered on God’s mercy and grace and the Spirit’s work in your life?

We further exalt Christ by humbly submitting to his Lordship. In Luk 9:23 Jesus said, … “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” As Eph 4:22-24 says, we must “… put off [our] old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and … be renewed in the spirit of [our] minds, 24 and … put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

How does that play out in our lives? It comes through obedience, as v 36 says. The outworking of receiving and believing is obedience. Jesus said in Jhn 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” As we submit to His will and commands, rather than following our own will and selfish desires, we decrease and Christ is exalted.

In addition to our personal response to Jesus as Lord, our obedience can exalt Christ in our corporate response to his bride, the church. Do we love the church as Christ does? Or are we like the church in Ephesus who abandoned the love it had at first? (Rev 2:4) When we humbly help our brothers and sisters in Christ, we exalt Him. Gal 6:10 says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” My prayer for CTR is what Paul wrote in Rom 15:5-7:

5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Let us thank the Holy Spirit for inspiring the apostle John to write this testimony of John the Baptist to provide an example of a Christ-exalting life and let us pray that the Holy Spirit would empower us to do the same in our lives. May we all say and strive to live by the creed, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”