{"id":488,"date":"2017-02-23T16:43:47","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T15:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=488"},"modified":"2017-02-23T16:43:49","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T15:43:49","slug":"he-must-become-greater-i-must-become-less-john-330","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=488","title":{"rendered":"He must become greater – I must become less John 3:30"},"content":{"rendered":"

John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. His birth was miraculous and his life was set apart for one purpose \u2013 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.
\nThe 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.
\nJesus 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.
\nIf you are looking for a principle to live your Christian life by, I can\u2019t suggest anything better than this. Jesus must become greater. I must become less.
\nJesus must become greater, I must become less IN OUR OWN LIVES
\nWe have seen before how John the Baptist saw himself in relation to Jesus.
\nJohn 1:27. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.\u2019
\nJohn knew his place. He knew that he wasn\u2019t even worthy to be Jesus\u2019s 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\u2019s clothes were made of camel\u2019s hair, and he had a leather belt round his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
\nThat 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.
\nI\u2019m 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\u2019s 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.
\nAnd 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 \u2013 the habit of self-denial.
\nIn Luke 9:23 Jesus said, \u201cWhoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.\u201d
\nMatthew Henry wrote, \u201cSelf-denial is the first lesson in Christ\u2019s school \u2013 it is a lesson we need to learn if Christ is to become greater and we are to become less in our daily lives.\u201d
\nOne more excellent habit to develop is reading the Bible every day. That\u2019s why I am inviting us all to commit ourselves to daily Bible readings during Lent. If you don\u2019t already do so, try using Bible Reading notes to help you.
\nJohn 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.
\nIn 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. \u201cMr Duff,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have been speaking about Dr Carey this, Dr Carey that. When I am gone, please say nothing about Dr Carey. Speak about Dr Carey\u2019s Saviour.\u201d
\nHe must become greater \u2013 I must become less.
\nAnother great missionary Hudson Taylor, speaking at a large church one day, was once introduced as \u201cour illustrious guest.\u201d Taylor replied, \u201cI am the little servant of an illustrious Master.\u201d
\nJesus will become more important and we will become less important in our own eyes \u2013 and that way our friends will begin to see more of Jesus in us, and less of us.
\nLet the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
\nAll His wonderful passion and purity;
\nO my Saviour divine, All my being refine,
\nTill the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
\nJohn the Baptist knew his place. He knew he wasn\u2019t the Messiah \u2013 he was just the forerunner. He wasn\u2019t the Bridegroom \u2013 he was just the Best Man.
\nJohn 3:28-30 You yourselves can testify that I said, \u201cI am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.\u201d 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\u2019s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.\u2019
\nJohn 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.
\nJesus is the Bridegroom and John is the Best Man. The Best Man isn\u2019t there to have a good time himself. The Best Man\u2019s 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 \u2013 and John the Baptist was happiest when all the attention was focussed on Jesus and all the glory went to Jesus, not to John.
\nWhen 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, \u201cI was but a pen in God\u2019s hand, and what praise is due to a pen?\u201d
\nAs 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.
\nAfter a performance of Beethoven\u2019s 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, \u201cI am nothing, you are nothing.\u201d Then, in adoring tones, Toscanini said, \u201cBut Beethoven is everything!\u201d We are nothing. Jesus is everything. He must increase! I must decrease! He must become greater \u2013 I must become less. We must give all the glory to God. \u201cNot I \u2013 but Jesus.\u201d Like John the Baptist said, He must become greater, I must become less.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a song you may remember from the good old days of Youth Praise written by Dave Cooke and Judy McKenzie. It goes like this.
\nIF I TRIED to live for you Lord today.
\nIf I tried to follow your wonderful way.
\nThen all of my life would be me and not you.
\nAnd none of your glory
\nwould ever shine through.<\/p>\n

Since I first met you
\nI knew Lord you were the way.
\nI tried hard to walk I your footsteps each day.
\nBut somehow my life didn\u2019t glorify Thee.
\nSo make me a channel
\nand you live through me.<\/p>\n

Take each new day, whatever\u2019s in store.
\nTake my whole being and into me pour,
\nYour power and your Spirit,
\nOh make me anew.
\nFor no-one can change me,
\nLord Jesus, but you. <\/p>\n

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.
\nWe 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, \u201cI don\u2019t like that \u2013 I prefer this.\u201d \u201cNot that again.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t want to do things that way, I want to do things this way.\u201d We all have our likes and dislikes \u2013 we wouldn\u2019t be human if we didn\u2019t. But the church isn\u2019t a club we go along to just to make us happy. The church isn\u2019t a human organisation \u2013 it is the Body of Christ. It isn\u2019t our Church \u2013 it is Christ\u2019s church. So what we like or don\u2019t like doesn\u2019t matter so much. What matters is what God likes. What matters is what Jesus wants for his church \u2013 and what He wants is for us all to love each other. Jesus should become greater \u2013 we should become less. So people won\u2019t see North Springfield Baptist Church so much \u2013 they will just see Jesus.
\nHe must become greater \u2013 I must become less.
\nJohn the Baptist was the forerunner. He came to prepare the way for Jesus and to bear witness about Jesus. John was a faithful witness \u2013 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.
\nJESUS TAKE ME AS I AM,
\nI can come no other way.
\nTake me deeper into You,
\nMake my flesh life melt away.
\nMake me like a precious stone,
\nCrystal clear and finely honed,
\nLife of Jesus shining through,
\nGiving glory back to You. <\/p>\n

He must become greater \u2013 I must become less. <\/p>\n

TIME FOR SILENT REFLECTION<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. His birth was miraculous and his life was set apart for one purpose…<\/span><\/p>\n

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