Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Dial In - John 3:22-36 (Ep. 08)

Episode Date: April 8, 2020

Dial In is a devotional series with the intention of helping followers of Christ understand God’s word and love Him more. Jonny seeks to communicate the profound depth of scripture in a digestible and condensed format each weekday. The goal of the podcast is that our “minds would be renewed” as we behold who God is in His word. In this series, Jonny is walking sequentially through the Gospel of John.In this episode, Jonny covers John 3:22-36 and discusses the humility of a Christ follower. Those who have been born again by God, have a high view of God and a low view of themselves. 

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis, and this is Dial In. In our previous episodes, we've looked at the need to be born again, and how that is completely a gift of God. Paul says in 2 Corinthians that those who have been born again are now new creations. And since we are new creations in Christ, we have a new disposition, a new nature, and a new ambition, and that's to make much of Jesus Christ. We're going to see that play out in our text today, and that's John chapter 3, verses 22 through 36. It's time to dial in.

John chapter 3, verses 22 through36. a Jew over purification. 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. John answered, a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. 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. He must increase, but I must decrease. 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. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 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. Okay, so Jesus finishes up his conversation with Nicodemus and then proceeds from there to go into the Judean countryside. And it's here in this passage that we see the last of John the Baptist's testimony

about Jesus Christ. In verse 25, it says that a discussion arose between some of John the Baptist's disciples and a Jew regarding purification, which is referring to baptism here. We see in verse 22 that Jesus is in the countryside baptizing, and this raises some concern with some of John the Baptist's disciples. Why? Because what is John the Baptist known for? What's his title? John the Baptizer. So they come to him and say, John, John, look what Jesus is doing. He's doing your thing on your turf.

And some of these people are going to him instead of you. And we see in John's response our main point for today's episode. And that is the humility of a Christ follower. John responds in 327, A person cannot receive even a single thing unless it has been given to him from heaven. One thing to note here is that you and I live in a world that is professional at posturing humility, but that's not John here. He is absolutely genuine. He knows that his ministry and his service to God are only by the mercy of God. Now, we don't typically think of the word mercy when it comes

to service to Christ and ministry in Christ's kingdom, but that is the anthem of all those who are used by God. It is the mercy of God that we are able to serve him. We don't deserve to be used by God. It's a grace given to us. Our ability to be used by God is not something that we have earned, but it is something that we are given. People aren't used mightily by God because they are better than anyone else around them, but because of the mercy of Jesus Christ that is extended towards that individual according to the stewardship of God towards them. One of the most profound influences in my life are reading biographies of men and women who have been used mightily by God, and they all reinforce the same reality. Being used by God is a product of the mercy

of God. And we see this all throughout the scripture. In 1 Corinthians, Paul says, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are nobodies. Christ is everything. In 2 Corinthians, he says, we are earthen vessels. We are clay pots pots while Jesus Christ is the glory of God shining. In 1 Corinthians 2, he says, when I came to you, brethren, I did not come in superior speech or wisdom proclaiming to you the testimony of God, for I determined to know nothing amongst you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. My preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

2 Corinthians 4.5 We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as slaves for Jesus Christ. There is a common theme here. Those who have been born again by God desire to make much of God. When God takes out our heart of stone and transforms that into a heart of flesh, he also takes out our proud, arrogant, self-seeking, self-exalting, self-promoting, selfish heart and transforms that into a humble, Christ-seeking, Christ-exalting, Christ-promoting, giving heart. And the humility that now accompanies us is the defining demeanor of all new creations in Christ. After all, God has done a miracle in our hearts. He's poured out

His grace and His mercy and His love on us. This is the only natural and logical response to what God has done. That's why Peter says in his first book that bears his name in chapter 5, 5, clothe yourself, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty The obvious interpretation of this passage is that God does not exalt those who desire to exalt themselves. Proverbs 6 lists six different things that God hates, seven that are an abomination to him. And at the top of the list are haughty eyes, those who think much of themselves and don't realize that whatever they are and whatever they've done has been a gift from God. This is convicting stuff.

John continues in verse 28. He says, don't you understand? I'm not the Christ, but I've been sent before him. What's remarkable about this is that John has already declared Jesus to be the son of God. He's already declared him to be the lamb of God. But here, John's disciples, once again, are seeming to become competitive towards Jesus' followers. Verse 29, John is essentially saying, I'm a best man at the wedding. The bride at the wedding isn't there for the best man.

She's there for the groom. And before the wedding, I make preparations for the groom and I get things ready. But when the groom arrives, it's not about me. It's about the groom. He's here. He's here. The groom is here. And now my job is to fade into obscurity.

I must back out. I just want to connect sinners to Christ. The wedding is about him. It's not about me. Sometimes taking the humble road is like biting your lip. It seems self-restraining. But this isn't a disappointment to John. It's not self-restraint.

Verse 29, this must happen in order that my joy be made complete. John is saying, my joy isn't in how much I am exalted. My joy is in how much Christ Jesus is exalted. Did you catch that? John's joy is conjoined to the exaltation of Jesus Christ. We have a joy epidemic in our culture because people think that joy is in our circumstances. And then maybe if they've grown up in a Christian setting, they've heard that joy is only found in Christ. That's totally true, but slightly incomplete. Our joy, if we are followers

of Christ, is found when we make much of Christ. If we aren't making much of Jesus Christ in our lives, we will have little reason to have genuine joy. We are called to make much of Jesus Christ in our lives, we will have little reason to have genuine joy. We are called to make much of Jesus Christ, and then we will have great joy. Verse 30 in the familiar verse, he must increase, I must decrease. John the Baptist is saying, this is not about John. This isn't about me. This is about Jesus. And although at the time he has national popularity, he wants nothing else than to make much of Jesus Christ. He is far, far, far more concerned with God's glory than his own. J.C. Ryle says that the truest mark of conversion is humility and that forgiven souls have the greatest cause for humility.

This is the life of John the Baptist. I often hear people talk about revival or the need for a movement of God, and I totally agree. I pray for a movement of God, but movements of God occur when they are spearheaded by a mentality of humility. Movements of God happen when Christ is more exalted than the one that is leading the movement. When the movement is more predominantly established upon the voice leading it than Jesus himself, the movement will be short-lived. And this is John's heart. I did not come here to establish myself or my kingdom. I came to establish Jesus Christ and his kingdom. And we often talk about humility,

and it seems sometimes more like a concept than something that is actually attainable. So how can this humility be ours? And how can we actually want Christ to be more exalted than ourself? And here's the solution. I think it's simple. We need to develop a greater understanding of God's character as revealed in God's word so that we grow in our love and thankfulness for God's son. The result will be a gratitude towards God that produces true humility. Humility and thankfulness go hand in hand. The most thankful people I know are often the most humble.

And the more we see God for who he is, the more we will see ourselves for who we are, and the more thankful we will be for what Jesus has done. John the Baptist is maybe the greatest example of humility the world has ever seen, but not quite. We will close with the description of the most humble man who's ever walked the earth. We see his description in Philippians 2. Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking on the form of a bondservant and becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him the name above all other names, and that name is Lord. Jesus was

the most humble man to ever walk the earth, who did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And the result of that is that God has highly exalted Jesus as Lord, and we should live lives that seek to exalt him as well. Stay dialed in. Bye.