Sunday, October 25, 2020 ~ The Book Of John ~ Series: LOVED BY JESUS ~ Message: The Preeminent ~ Scripture: John 3:22–36 ESV ~ Pastor Philip Miller
Image: Saint John the Baptist Pointing to Christ c. 1655 by Bartolomé Estéban Murillo 1617–1682
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
“He must increase, we must decrease“
John 3:30 ESV
WELCOME
Sunday, October 25, 2020
The Book Of John
Series: LOVED BY JESUS
Message: The Preeminent
Scripture: John 3:22-36 ESV
Pastor Philip Miller
Scripture Reading John 3:22-36 ESV
Audio: John 3 ESV
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
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.
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Blessed Assurance
The Preeminent: Navigating Life with Jesus at the Center
Sunday, October 25, 2020
The Book Of John
Series: LOVED BY JESUS
Message: The Preeminent
Scripture: John 3:22-36 ESV
Speaker: Philip Miller
Do you know how it feels to be upstaged by someone? John the Baptist knows how this feels. For at time, he was the big shot, the prophetic voice calling out in the wilderness. But then one day Jesus showed up, and people began flocking to Jesus and not to John.
And for John that was just fine, because Jesus really does deserve center stage.
In this message, we look at four reasons why Jesus deserves center stage and why we're better off with Jesus at the center of our lives.
1) Jesus sees more than we ever could. We get lost in the maze of life; if only we had a friend who was from above, we ask. The longer we insist on going our own way, the longer we’ll be stuck and lost. The sooner we yield to Jesus, the sooner we’ll find our way. And that’s what it means to put Jesus at the center, to let his perspective outrank our own instincts. Jesus deserves center stage by virtue of his position from above.
2) Jesus knows more than we ever could. Jesus comes as an expert witness, a master of ultimate cosmic reality. His knowledge is comprehensive. His wisdom is supreme. His statements are trustworthy and true. But when we go our own way, do our own thing, or trust our own instincts, we end up learning the hard way. Jesus deserves center stage by virtue of his Expertise. We’re better off when He’s at the center because His wisdom is life-giving.
3) Jesus has more than we ever could. He’s infinitely well connected, infinitely well resourced, infinitely able to execute. Which is so unlike us. We’re constantly limited by our resources. We amass all we can, but it’s never enough. We give our best, but come up short. We mean well, but fail to execute. We’re always bumping up against our limitations. But what if you put Jesus at the center? What if you could rest, knowing that Jesus was enough for you in every way? Jesus deserves center stage by virtue of his resources; and He shares his infinite inheritance with us and give us the right to become children of God! We’re better off when he’s at the center because whatever Jesus asks the Father freely gives.
4) Jesus fundamentally matters more. He is the most consequential person in the history of the universe. There is a gravitas, a substance, a weightiness to Jesus that we simply do not have. By ourselves, we simply do not have enough mass to stabilize our own orbit. But what if there was another way?
The secret to really truly living? We must let our ego die, let our control go, let ourselves be displaced, and put Jesus at the center.
Jesus must increase, we must decrease.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
The Book Of John
Series: LOVED BY JESUS
Message: The Preeminent
Scripture: John 3:22-36 ESV
Pastor Philip Miller
SERMON NOTES
Sunday, October 25, 2020
The Book Of John
Series: LOVED BY JESUS
Message: The Preeminent
Scripture: John 3:22-36 ESV
Pastor Philip Miller
^Videos by Inspirational>1...
The Preeminent
So let’s celebrate the joy of changed lives! Let’s remember who we are.
New life reminds us that there’s hope. When we see new life, we know there’s a future. Jesus is building his church not just now, but for the generations that will come after us. As dire as things might feel sometimes, new life means the future is bright. God is on the move. Jesus is drawing people to himself. The Spirit is actively at work. And there is so much to look forward to!
New life reminds us of our purpose. Jesus calls us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. And when we see new life in Christ, it means that mission is advancing. Celebrating the joy of changed lives isn’t just a slogan, it is the lifeblood of our mission. This is who we are. This is what gets us out of bed in the morning.
New life reminds us of our stories. We once were lost, but now we’re found. We were blind, but now we see. In seeing new life, we are reminded of our own stories. Our own redemption. Our own rescue. We are all trophies of God’s abundant grace in Jesus Christ. Our stories are His story. We are far more sinful than we ever dared realize, yet in Jesus, we are far more loved than we ever dared hope.
New life. That’s what we’ve been celebrating these past two Sundays through baptism. As Mark, Desiree, Allison, Jiayi, Amaya, Alberto, Marjorie, and Carl stepped into the water and were immersed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we rejoiced along with all of heaven in the joy of changed lives! I don’t know about you, but whenever I see baptisms and hear the story of changed lives, something passionate rises up in me—a deep resolve that “This is why we’re here!” Seeing new life reminds us of who we are.
Audio: John 3 ESV
The background.
The clash (vs. 22–26)
• Jesus’ ministry is upstaging John’s.
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.”
The response (vs. 27–30)
• John humbly gives Jesus center stage.
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.”
Four reasons Jesus deserves center stage.
Jesus’ position (v. 31)
• Jesus sees more.
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.
Jesus’ expertise (vs. 32–34)
• Jesus knows more.
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.
Jesus’ resources (v. 35)
• Jesus has more.
35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
Jesus’ consequence (v. 36)
• Jesus matters more.
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.
Takeaway: He must increase, we must decrease.
PASTOR TO PEOPLE
You are loved, more than you know!
Pastor Philip