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Proverbs 12:1-8
1 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is
stupid.
2 A good man
obtains favor from the LORD, But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.
3 A man is not established by wickedness, But
the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are right, But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked are, "Lie in wait for
blood," But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more, But the house of the
righteous will stand.
8 A man will be commended according to his
wisdom, But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.
Father God, I pray your words will pierce the hearts of
non-believers, the Holy Spirit will bring great conviction, and the lost will
reach out for your Son Jesus in repentance. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Gospel of John 3:23-36 NKJV
Last
week we left off with the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus ending and
Jesus leaving Jerusalem and going to the region of Judea, where the disciples
were doing the baptizing of those that believed. After the great messages of
the first half of this chapter you wouldn’t think these last few verses hold
much meat, but they do once you slow down and ponder them.
23 Now John
also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And
they came and were baptized.
Now
John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim; As to its exact location of Aenon,
seems to be lost, however, it is believed to have been located about fifty
miles northeast of Jerusalem. Aenon means fountains, therefore we can assume
there was a fountain or many fountains there or springs that fed a stream or
pool of water.
Because
there was much water there; It
was necessary to camp near this large amount of water more so for everyday
activities like washing, drinking, and necessities of life. Water was also
needed for the camels and other animals that brought the travelers there. When
we read the verse we just think of the need for water to baptize and not the
great magnitude of people and the amount of water needed to sustain life.
And
they came and were baptized; John
was a forerunner of Christ to prepare the way and introduce the Messiah. John
did this and did it very well, so do you wonder why he was still baptizing? The
message John delivered to people was spread by word of mouth and people
believed. I believe there was an out pouring of the Holy Spirit on anyone that
heard John’s words via the grapevine and a great desire came over the people to
come and hear John and to be baptized. Now with Jesus on the scene and His
disciples baptizing, the crowd would diminish because John would be pointing
them to Jesus. The next few verses tells us that his ministry is coming to an
end.
24 For John
had not yet been thrown into prison.
This verse tells us John
continued in his ministry because that is what a servant of the Lord does and
it also tells us his death was just around the corner. A servant continues
preaching the Gospel till their death. John still toiled in his work even
though the Messiah had come. All the other Apostles did the same and John the
Baptist was no different.
25 Then
there arose a dispute between some
of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.
As we can see by this
verse there was a dispute about religion some 2,000 years ago just like today.
The Greek Text indicates it was a very angry debate. The Jews that were
engaging in this dispute with John’s disciples were no doubt deeply rooted in
their religion of laws. They didn’t understand the new Gospel and didn’t want
to understand it therefore attempted to tear down what was being preached.
There were many types of washing in the Jewish traditions that was believed to
wash away sin, what exactly the dispute was about we do not know.
26 And they
came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the
Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming
to Him!"
What human characteristics
shine forth from this verse? Pride, arrogance, jealousy; could it be these
individuals were instigating a rivalry between John and Jesus? You have to
wonder what they had their faith in, Jesus or worldly status. They saw their
usefulness slipping away and didn’t like what was happening. Soon they would be
of no importance and just like everyone else around them and that was bothering
them. They would no longer be able to strut around and stand out among the
crowd. Our pride can grasp us so quickly and cause us to sin it will make our
head spin so beware. True piety teaches us to rejoice that sinners turn to
Christ and become holy, whether they follow us or not.
27 John
answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to
him from heaven.
If you go back and read
verses 24, 25, 26 and 27 together, John’s response says that God is in control
and the people would come to him if God willed it. John did not join into their
feelings or sympathize with their love of fame. He came to honor Jesus, not to
build up a sect; he rejoiced at the success of the Messiah, and began to teach
them to rejoice in the fact that people are being saved and it didn’t matter who
led the person to Christ.
This message John the
Baptist is giving, is for us also. It is not about religion, it is about faith
in Jesus and being Born Again to be able to enter into the Kingdom of our
eternal Father.
28 You
yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have
been sent before Him.'
John is telling his
followers that are grumbling that he is not Christ and that he was sent
beforehand to prepare the hearts of people to accept Jesus when He came. He is
telling them they were there and witnessed Jesus coming to be baptized, and at
that time John pointed out the Messiah. So what part of the human nature was
keeping these people from following Jesus? Was it pride? Was it change? Was it
the fear of something new that Jesus was teaching? Were these people Born Again
by acting this way, probably not because their faith was in John the Baptist.
29 He who
has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands
and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore
this joy of mine is fulfilled.
He
who has the bride is the bridegroom; What
John is saying here is that all the souls that he had been winning all belong
to the bridegroom, they are Christ bride. He has no claim on them, he just bore
witness to them and it was the power of the Holy Spirit that brought them to
repentance. In other words he pointed them in the right direction toward
salvation. Isaiah 62:5; Revelation 21:2,
Revelation 21:9; Revelation 22:17; Ephesians
5:26-27, Ephesians 5:32; 2 Corinthians 11:2
But
the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly
because of the bridegroom's voice; John
is like a bridegroom’s best man. The best man makes a toast to the groom and
bride and directs everyone’s attention to the newly married couple and that is
what John is doing here. A best man at a wedding is happy for his friend and
rejoices over the wedding.
Therefore
this joy of mine is fulfilled; John
is greatly please to see the crowds going to Jesus and rejoices in hearing Him
talk. It must have made John feel good inside seeing that he had accomplished
what he was sent to do.
30 He must
increase, but I must decrease.
He
must increase; Jesus authority
and influence among the people must grow. His doctrine shall continue to spread
until it extends through all the earth.
But
I must decrease; What John is saying here is that he
didn’t come to start a religion or a group of followers. His ministry was to
direct people to Jesus and when that was done his work was finished. Now he was
to fade out of sight like the stars of a clear night fades away with the rising
of the morning sun.
John's willingness to
decrease in importance shows unusual humility. Pastors and other Christian
leaders should be focused more on people being saved and not on the success of
their ministries. Beware of those who put more emphasis on their own
achievements than on God's Kingdom.
31 He who
comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of
the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
He
who comes from above is above all; This
phrase is of course referring to Jesus. He wasn’t just a mere man; His origin
was from Heaven. He is the creator of all things, therefore above all creation
in nature, rank, and authority. He is superior to all prophets, angels, powers,
and dominions.
He
who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth; Refers to all men, even the great
Prophets of old. Prime example of speaking of earthly things is the TV
evangelist preach our life here and now is the good life; reach for the gusto
here and now; if it feels good do it; your deserve a Mercedes Benz. If now is
the good life here on earth, is doesn’t say much for Heaven then, does it?
He
who comes from heaven is above all; This
phrase is referring to those that came to John complaining that all were going
to Jesus. They were probably saying that Jesus was just another prophet, but
John is telling them He is above all.
Jesus words were
trustworthy because he came from Heaven and was speaking of what He had seen
there. His words were the very words of God. Our whole spiritual life depends
on the answer to one question: Who is Jesus Christ? If you accept Jesus as only
a prophet or teacher, you have to reject his teaching and then you will pick
and chose what you want to believe in the Bible. This same Jesus has invited us
to accept him and live with him eternally. When we fully understand who Jesus
is and what He did for us, we will believe what he said, and live by His Word.
32 And what
He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.
What John is telling us
here is that Jesus was preaching things of a Heavenly nature that He had seen
and heard in Heaven. His doctrine was pure and plain, yet many couldn’t accept
it. They had that doubting Thomas spirit within them.
Often times people appear
becoming followers of Jesus, but in the end know nothing but a religion. You
have to ask yourself of the crowds that came, how many actually repented? Did
they truly give their life to Jesus or just go through the motions of the
ritual of baptism.
I have to admit that
infant baptism and confirmation didn’t do anything for me, it was just a
religious ritualistic custom that all Catholics were expected and suppose to
do. There was no change in me spiritually, but when I repented of my sin nature
and accepted Jesus, a change happened within my heart and then I had a great
desire to be baptized.
33 He who
has received His testimony has certified that God is true.
Born Again Christians receive
and fully believed God’s doctrine. They have certified or sealed their heart with
His Word that it is true. God is true, faithful, and is the author. A true
believer pledges themselves to the truth; they are a witness for God;
surrenders all to Him; believes every word in the Bible and uses it as a
spiritual survival guide for eternal life. The man that does not do this, that
is not willing to pledge his belief that God is true, sets the seal of his
heart that God is a liar and untrustworthy. 1 John 5:10 He who
believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe
God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has
given of His Son.
34 For He
whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by
measure.
This verse is referring to
the Trinity, therefore Jesus always spoke the words of God because He was God
and the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn’t given a measure or just a short message to
give to the people like the prophets, He spoke the words of God at all times.
The prophets were given a measure of what God wanted them to say whenever He
had a message for His people.
35 The
Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
What
this verse is saying is that God so loved His Son, that He placed everything in
Jesus hands for the redemption of mankind, OUT OF LOVE.
36 He who
believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
This final verse of this
chapter plainly states that anyone that places their faith (meaning repents and
accepts Jesus) in Jesus and what He did at Calvary, will have eternal life, but
those that don’t believe will suffer eternally with the creator of the sin
nature.
What a
chapter this has been. Salvation, eternal happiness, living with Jesus,
praising God, singing in the Heavenly choir, etc. Jesus is preparing a mansion for
His Bride, are you a part of the Bride?
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All
things were created through Him and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God."
The
Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you
believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord Jesus I know I am a
sinner. I confess my sins to you; I am
sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a sinful
lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness. I believe that only you can forgive sin. I commit my life to you and ask you to come
into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.”
(John 3:16,17; Romans
3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians
2:8-10; 1 John 5:11-14; 1:6-10)
(Sin: Rom. 1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.
5:3-7)
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