He must increase

Now I just direct your attention please to John's gospel in chapter 3. John's gospel in chapter 3. Just before we commence the reading, just for the parents with the children, don't worry about the kids squawking. Not going to affect me. How commendable for the younger parents to bring their families to the assembly.

God bless you. John chapter 3, let us break in at verse 22. After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea, and there he tarried with them and baptized.

And John also was baptizing in Aeon near to Salem because there was much water there, and they came and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into prison. Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying, and they came unto him, John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptizeth and all men come to him.

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who standeth and heareth him rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.

This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. And God will bless to us the rating of his word.

The man who spoke these words has gained the highest possible commendation because it came from the lips of the Lord Jesus himself. And this is what the Lord Jesus said one day about this man, Matthew chapter 11, Among those born of women there is not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Now suppose we do well to ask ourselves a question on a Saturday afternoon at a conference.

How is it possible for John to gain this commendation? How did he live? What did he say? What did he do? How did he act? The four Gospels of course give us quite a portrait of this most unusual man. Mark reminds us in his gospel of his arrival. He appeared in the wilderness preaching the baptism of repentance.

But not only his arrival, he he tells us something of his appearance. Imagine a camel hair tunic. And if that was unusual his appearance possibly his appetite was a little bit more unusual.

Locusts and wild honey. Matthew tells me something about his audience. You see there were the Pharisees and the Sadducees that had come for the baptism.

Luke will remind me something of his approval. For he comes in the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. But really I just want to bypass over what Matthew, Mark, and Luke say of him.

And just now to use the words that he spoke himself. And to say something about his announcement. He must increase.

But I must decrease. John had a threefold mission. And that threefold mission was this.

He first of all had a responsibility to clear the way of the Lord. And he had a responsibility to prepare the way of the Lord. And he had a responsibility to get out of the way of the Lord.

And to prepare the way of the Lord. Possibly it might not have been too difficult for him to clear the way of the Lord and to prepare the way of the Lord. But he's a true servant.

Because he was able to get out of the way of the Lord. So therefore John illustrates by his short ministry just how long that ministry was. I'll let you determine that.

But just however long his ministry was that by his life and by his language. He proved the reality of what he is now speaking. He must increase.

But I must decrease. You see John recognized that he was just a man. But the one that he was pointing out was the Messiah.

John well he recognized that he was just John. But the one to whom he had been called to prepare the way was God's eternal Son the Lord Jesus. John appreciated that he was just the voice.

The Lord Jesus was the word. John appreciated that he was just a lamp. The Lord Jesus was the light.

So John knew the ministry to which he had been called to. And he fulfilled it even though that ministry as far as time was concerned may have been relatively short. Yet he did it for the honor and the glory of God.

Therefore it begs the question on a Saturday afternoon at a Portage conference. How could the speaker? How could the hearer fulfill this announcement and this testimony of John that he must increase. But I must decrease.

Decrease. First of all think with me. We require an increase in my attitude towards him.

You see it begins in the mind. It begins in our thinking. Recall the words of the wise man from Proverbs 23 for as he thinketh in his heart so is he.

Recall the words of Paul to the Roman Saints in chapter 12. For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. So if I'm going to fulfill this admonition that is given by John.

I'm going to have to have an increase in my attitude towards him. You ask this afternoon but why is that necessary? And the answer lies in this that we are very very much self-centered creatures. To do something, to be involved in something.

What advantage is that for me? In what way will my reputation be lifted if I'm involved in that activity? What will others think of me if I'm involved or if I do this or say that? we are creatures of self-centeredness. Therefore we need an increase of our attitude towards him. If by chance it pleases God to set you aside or to set me aside as he was going to set John aside.

Because the ministry of John and and Jesus there could be absolutely no competition. So John was going to be taken out of the way in order that the preeminence would be focused on the Lord Jesus. So how would I act and how would I react if God chooses to set me aside and to give others a work or a place that we've tried to fulfill? Christians stand stand in John's shoes for just a minute.

Matthew tells me that then went out to him Jerusalem and all all Judea. I've got the picture in my mind that this was not ten people or a hundred. It could have been thousands.

Listen to what Mark says. He adds and they were all baptized by him in the river. So all came out and all were baptized Listen to what Luke records and they came to him and said rabbi or master.

What shall we do? In other words, they were coming to John for advice. Now, how would you feel? Well, I think the committee whether David Oliver and others to look after truth and tidings they might just have to put another few pages in the magazine because there's a lot going on. And what does John do in those circumstances? He diverts the attention to Christ himself.

Dear Christian, for any one of us and I speak first of all to my own heart to attract to attract attention to ourselves is disloyalty to the Lord who died for me. An attitude, an increase of my attitude towards him. But that's quickly going to flow secondly to an increase in my affections for him.

You see once we give up the sin and it is a sin once we give up the sin of self-centeredness and the sin of self-occupation and our hearts attitude is just this is that in everything and every movements of my life that he might increase. And once it becomes an attitude it is then going to flow to my affections. It's all been already been repeated this verse in the conference.

It was I believe our brother David Richards on Friday night. When you come to the close of this lovely gospel another great man not now John but Peter says this Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thine. Could we could we really truly say that? You say to me Jack how really how really are my affections going to be measured? Is there a measuring table by by which I can gauge just my affections? And Christians the answer is yes, and that measuring table or that measuring tablet is the truth of the Word of God.

Allow the Spirit of God to burn these words into our hearts that the Lord Jesus said himself in John chapter 14. He said if you love me we all do don't we? If if you love me then he says keep my commandments. The measure of my affections towards him is directly measured in relation as to how I am willing to bow to the truth of the Word of God.

They gathered with us last year at the Portage conference. They're not here today. They were part of assembly fellowship last year when we were together but they're not part of a part of assembly fellowship today.

What has happened? Affections have been misplaced. And dear Christian since none of us are done our journey it would be possible for any one of us for our affections to be misplaced and for us to bring disloyalty to our blessed Lord. An increase in my attitude towards him, an increase in my affections towards him.

You recall the incident don't you of Exodus 32? Is it that when the nation of Israel lost sight of the man that had gone up idolatry came into the camp. When they lost sight of the man that had gone up idolatry came into the camp. Dear Christian, God help us all to keep our eyes on the Christ of God in order that he might increase.

An increase in my attitude, an increase in my affections. I'm going to suggest for you thirdly that that is going to quickly move into an increase in my activities. You see an increase in my affections and well might we love him.

For had he not loved us none of us would have been here today. To go back to what our brother Gordon spoke to us first of all this afternoon. If there hadn't been that gracious ministry of the Spirit of God towards us convicting us of our sins none of us would have been here.

We might not be on earth. We might been in a lost eternity forever. So an increase in my affections is going to now grow into an increase in my activities.

Now let me say this this afternoon and I I'll qualify it. Mere Mere activity does not produce affection. Mere activity does not produce affection.

In other words I could be involved in much activity in the assembly. I could be involved in much activity outside of the assembly as as far as distribution of the Word of God and and helpful in gospel tent meetings, but it could just be mere activity. Mere activity does not produce affection.

But I'm going to say this if you switch it around that affection to Christ is going to produce activity. How is this then going to be displayed? Well, it'll be displayed first of all in my own personal desire to get to know the Lord better. It'll be developed in that attitude that I just want to spend time with Him.

Not for anything that I can get out of Him. But just that He longs for me to be in His presence. I was reading just recently and I've heard the story before.

Just let me repeat it. Mr. George Gould of Ireland was in Iowa and I understand he was getting up in years and he was at a conference in Iowa and the lunch the supper hour had come and Mr. Gould was just walking down the road. So one of the believers went after him and tapped him on the shoulder and said now, no relative now, Mr. Gould, he said do you not know it's it's supper hour? Oh brother, he said, I'm just going for a little walk.

He said I'm letting the Lord love me. You ever sit and let the Lord love you? Amongst the trials and the difficulties of life and the frustrations of our life that our brothers have told us about this morning in their reports. Just just those moments to sit in His presence and just to let the Lord love you.

But it'll be seen not only in the development of sitting and letting the Lord love me and the meditation of the Word of God. It's going to be seen in a very practical way in my attendance at the assembly meetings. God never intended that we would break bread and not be at the prayer meeting.

He never intended me to break bread and not be at the teaching meeting. He never intended that I would break bread and not be at the gospel meeting. An increase in my activities.

Paul the Apostle in Acts chapter 13 he lists amongst other things three three remarkable men of the Scriptures. I just want you to grasp what Paul by the Spirit of God says about them. It says of Saul, that would be King Saul, when he had removed him.

You see Saul was, Saul's life was a life of self-centeredness. Little for God in Saul's life. Saul removed him, pardon me, God removed him.

David you remember says the Spirit of God, Paul says, I have found David, a man after my own heart, and this is what I appreciated, who shall fulfill all my will. What a, what a tremendous testimony. Who shall fulfill all my will.

And then he brings up John and he says of John, when John had fulfilled his course. I was just mentioning to Brother Oliver and the interval over coffee. A number of years ago we stood in Sarnia at the grave site of Kathleen Nesbitt and David doesn't remember, but I do.

And David said this, she's fulfilled her course. Yes, possibly mistakes by the medical field. Maybe something other that could have been done and should have been done.

But David said this, she fulfilled her course. Would to God dear Christian that all of us would fulfill our course and in doing so he must increase. But I close.

An increase in my attitude towards him, an increase in my affections towards him, an increase in my activities for him must ultimately lead to an increase in my anticipation for him. Because he is coming back. Men will make their predictions.

Don't worry about that. May come long before October arrives again. So don't wait till October.

A longing that he would increase in my anticipation for him. Whether you're a younger believer, just saved, or young married couples with their little families. Those of us that are getting a little older and those of you who feel old.

Might the Spirit of God burn into our souls today to go away from the conference with this attitude. He must increase. And I must decrease.

May God bless us all.