He Must Increase

He must increASE

John 3:22-36

Main Idea: He must increase, therefore we are wisest to always pursue a greater worship of Jesus.

I. The Heated Debate (3:22-26)

Any heated debate has at least three common elements. There is a situation, a flash point, and an escalation that turns up the heat.

  • The Situation - Jesus and his disciples baptizing near John and his disciples.

  • The Flash Point - A discussion arose over purification. 

  • The Escalation - “He is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

II. A Humble Response (3:27-30)

Instead of being drawn into the controversy and escalating the debate, John steps out of the controversy and addresses the situation from a different - and proper - vantage point. John’s response de-escalates the debate by appealing to a universal constant, correcting the historical record, and stating the inescapable conclusion.

A. The Universal Constant

John 3:27: A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given to him from heaven.”

John’s view of reality saw heaven intimately and intricately involved with and orchestrating affairs on earth. From this perspective, everything on earth is a gift from heaven. John was unfazed by the situation that led his disciples and this Jew into heated debate because he knew that heaven rules and earth follows.

B. The Record Correction

John 3:28: You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’

John locks in on the the only two identity markers about himself that mattered to him:

  1. I am not the Christ 

  2. I have been sent before the Christ

John affirms that his sense of identity is wrapped up in what God and the Scriptures say about him. 

C. The Inescapable Conclusion

John 3:29-30: 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 [the bridegroom] must increase, but I must decrease.

John makes Jesus the center of attention, not himself or anyone else. Now that "that One” has arrived on the scene, John enjoys two blessings.

  1. “This joy of mine is complete.”

  2. My mission is fulfilled. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

III. A Homiletical Summary (2:31-36)

Whether this section is a continuation of John the Witness or a chapter summary from John the Apostle, it stands as a three-point sermonic conclusion to the whole chapter: 

  1. He who comes from above is above all - v. 31. Listen to Him and do not be surprised that He sounds confusing to you.

  2. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard. - vv. 32-35. His testimony is true. Those who reject it do not make Him false. Those who receive Him prove that what He testifies to is true.

  3. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. - v. 36. To hear Him and repent is life. To ignore Him and rebel is to miss life and invite wrath.

()