John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. His birth was miraculous and his life was set apart for one purpose – to act as the forerunner for the Messiah: to help people get ready to meet their God. His message was simple: turn away from your sins because the King is coming. And when Jesus arrived, John pointed away from himself and straight to Jesus. He is the one whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. Jesus is the one who will baptise Israel with the refining Holy Spirit. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
The first thing to say about John the Baptist is that he listened to his own message. He lived a life of repentance and dedication to God. He recognised the sinfulness of sin and the judgment of the holy God. John acknowledged his own sin and was truly sorry for it and he turned away from sin and gave his life wholeheartedly to serving God. And we find the underlying principle by which John lived his life in John 3:30. He must become greater. I must become less.
Jesus must increase. I must decrease. He must become more important. I must become less important. The Message puts it very well. He must move into the centre. I must slip into the sidelines.
If you are looking for a principle to live your Christian life by, I can’t suggest anything better than this. Jesus must become greater. I must become less.
Jesus must become greater, I must become less IN OUR OWN LIVES
We have seen before how John the Baptist saw himself in relation to Jesus.
John 1:27. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
John knew his place. He knew that he wasn’t even worthy to be Jesus’s slave. Apart perhaps from Mary and Joseph, John was the first person to recognise that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus was the Lamb of God. Jesus was Lord and Master of all and John was less than a slave. Perhaps it was the years John spent in the wilderness preparing for his ministry which had revealed his place in the universe to him. Matthew 3:4 tells us that John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt round his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
That lifestyle of discipline and self-denial as a hermit in the desert in the heat of the day and the cold of the night helped John recognise his lack of importance compared to Jesus.
I’m not suggesting that we all need to go and become hermits to meet with God. But I am sure that we can learn from John’s practice of self-denial and the act of fasting which can help us to meet with God in prayer as it trains us to say no to self and yes to God.
And I am equally sure we can benefit from times of solitude and silence if we really want to meet with God and hear God speak to us. It is good to spend time in retreat away from people just praying and drawing near to God. And there was another discipline practised by John the Baptist which is neglected today – the habit of self-denial.
In Luke 9:23 Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Matthew Henry wrote, “Self-denial is the first lesson in Christ’s school – it is a lesson we need to learn if Christ is to become greater and we are to become less in our daily lives.”
One more excellent habit to develop is reading the Bible every day. That’s why I am inviting us all to commit ourselves to daily Bible readings during Lent. If you don’t already do so, try using Bible Reading notes to help you.
John the Baptist gives us a magnificent example of commitment and obedience and passion for God. Drawing near to God in fasting and solitude and silence and prayer and self-denial and continual repentance. These things will help purify us and refine us and make us more like Jesus our Lord and Master as we recognise our place as servants who are unworthy even to untie His sandals.
In the 19th Century when a missionary called Alexander Duff came back from India he visited the missionary statesman William Carey, who founded the Baptist Missionary Society. On the last visit before Carey died, Duff talked a lot about the great things Carey had achieved in India. As Duff was leaving, Carey called him back. “Mr Duff,” he said. “You have been speaking about Dr Carey this, Dr Carey that. When I am gone, please say nothing about Dr Carey. Speak about Dr Carey’s Saviour.”
He must become greater – I must become less.
Another great missionary Hudson Taylor, speaking at a large church one day, was once introduced as “our illustrious guest.” Taylor replied, “I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.”
Jesus will become more important and we will become less important in our own eyes – and that way our friends will begin to see more of Jesus in us, and less of us.
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity;
O my Saviour divine, All my being refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
John the Baptist knew his place. He knew he wasn’t the Messiah – he was just the forerunner. He wasn’t the Bridegroom – he was just the Best Man.
John 3:28-30 You yourselves can testify that I said, “I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.” The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.’
John is the best man. Jesus is the Bridegroom. But in the Old Testament, especially in the book of Hosea, the Bride is the nation of Israel. The Bridegroom is a picture of God Himself. So in using that picture, John is again saying that Jesus is not only the Messiah but that Jesus is indeed God.
Jesus is the Bridegroom and John is the Best Man. The Best Man isn’t there to have a good time himself. The Best Man’s job is to make the wedding as successful and enjoyable as it can be for the Bride and Groom. Too often in our own lives we want to steal the show for ourselves and Jesus the Bridegroom is overshadowed or even left out. The Best Man is happiest when all the attention is on the Bride and Groom – and John the Baptist was happiest when all the attention was focussed on Jesus and all the glory went to Jesus, not to John.
When a friend was comforting the Rev. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) on his deathbed reminding him of the blessings which many had received through his preaching and writing, Baxter replied, “I was but a pen in God’s hand, and what praise is due to a pen?”
As Christians our aim should be to point to Jesus, not to ourselves. All the glory should go to Jesus. Not to us. When God helps us through a difficult situation, we should give all the glory to Jesus and not try to keep any of it for ourselves.
After a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the audience gave conductor Arturo Toscanini kept on applauding. Not only the audience but even the orchestra gave him a prolonged standing ovation. But Toscanini, filled with emotion, turned to his musicians and whispered, “I am nothing, you are nothing.” Then, in adoring tones, Toscanini said, “But Beethoven is everything!” We are nothing. Jesus is everything. He must increase! I must decrease! He must become greater – I must become less. We must give all the glory to God. “Not I – but Jesus.” Like John the Baptist said, He must become greater, I must become less.

There’s a song you may remember from the good old days of Youth Praise written by Dave Cooke and Judy McKenzie. It goes like this.
IF I TRIED to live for you Lord today.
If I tried to follow your wonderful way.
Then all of my life would be me and not you.
And none of your glory
would ever shine through.

Since I first met you
I knew Lord you were the way.
I tried hard to walk I your footsteps each day.
But somehow my life didn’t glorify Thee.
So make me a channel
and you live through me.

Take each new day, whatever’s in store.
Take my whole being and into me pour,
Your power and your Spirit,
Oh make me anew.
For no-one can change me,
Lord Jesus, but you.

We all need Jesus to shine through us. He must become greater and I must become less. And that is true not only in our personal lives but also in our life together as a church.
We need to do everything we can to make Jesus more important and ourselves less important in North Springfield Baptist Church. When we think about our services or activities we can sometimes find ourselves sating, “I don’t like that – I prefer this.” “Not that again.” “I don’t want to do things that way, I want to do things this way.” We all have our likes and dislikes – we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. But the church isn’t a club we go along to just to make us happy. The church isn’t a human organisation – it is the Body of Christ. It isn’t our Church – it is Christ’s church. So what we like or don’t like doesn’t matter so much. What matters is what God likes. What matters is what Jesus wants for his church – and what He wants is for us all to love each other. Jesus should become greater – we should become less. So people won’t see North Springfield Baptist Church so much – they will just see Jesus.
He must become greater – I must become less.
John the Baptist was the forerunner. He came to prepare the way for Jesus and to bear witness about Jesus. John was a faithful witness – even though it cost him his head and he became the first Christian martyr. And like John the Baptist, Christians are called to bear witness and to point to Jesus: Jesus the Son of God, Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We bear witness with our words, and we bear witness with our lives as people see Jesus living in us.
JESUS TAKE ME AS I AM,
I can come no other way.
Take me deeper into You,
Make my flesh life melt away.
Make me like a precious stone,
Crystal clear and finely honed,
Life of Jesus shining through,
Giving glory back to You.

He must become greater – I must become less.

TIME FOR SILENT REFLECTION