John 3:22-36: "He must Increase, but I must decrease."

This week in CrossTown, we look at the terminus of John the Baptist's ministry. John understood that his ministry was God's ministry, that it should point to Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ is God's supreme revelation to man. Listen in, and see how this passage applies to us on a practical level.

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Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Hello everyone, this is Pastor David Spaugh, and this is Crosstown, my hometown. And I am glad that you are here with me today at Crosstown, where I hope every day is sunny, joyful, educational, and encouraging, where the cross of Jesus Christ is in our town square. Here at Crosstown, we exposit God's Word, the Bible, we mix in some apologetics and cultural analysis along the way from time to time, all in an attempt to edify the body of Christ, point non-Christians to our great and glorious Savior Jesus Christ, and most of all, we want to exalt him and glorify our Father who is in heaven. So I trust you will go away from this podcast, having drawn just a little closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, more confident in the teaching of his word, and filled with increased hope as we anticipate his victorious return to this earth to establish his kingdom at the end of the age as he promised. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will use what we do here at Crosstown to help others grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and point others to the salvation that He alone offers. As we read in John chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that anyone can be forgiven of sin, freed from the bondage of guilt, given a new life, and be assured of everlasting life in heaven, in the kingdom of God. If you enjoy this podcast, I certainly hope you will pass along the word to others that they might also know about Crosstown and that they might also be encouraged in Jesus Christ. Now through my podcast host, Buzz Sprout, I can see the statistics on where my podcast is downloaded. Interesting, at this point in time, I've had people download Crosstown in Germany, Gibraltar, Vietnam, Iraq, Italy, Nigeria, and about 15 or 20 other nations as well. It's very encouraging to me when I realize that there are people around the world that are listening in. And if you are from one of those countries that I mentioned, or if you are listening from another country that perhaps I have not yet been made aware of, believe me, I am so pleased to be able to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to you through this Crosstown podcast. I trust that though we will probably never meet in this life, we will rejoice together in fellowship in the kingdom of God. Of course, I'm grateful for everyone who tunes into Crosstown, but it's just a little extra icing on the cake to have people from around the world where even those in communist or Muslim lands listen in. I certainly hope you are blessed by all that you hear. Again, as I like to point out on my on occasion, my uh in my introduct my introductory remarks, I like to point out that my music that you hear at the beginning and at the end of the podcast is called Blooming Spring by Lemon Music Studio. It is offered free of charge on Pixabay, a royalty-free music store. I'm grateful to Pixabay and for the Lemon Music Studio for providing this music for me. Now, as we get down to our main concern today, those of you who have been with us at Crosstown know that we've been going through a series of lessons on the Gospel of John. Today's Crosstown podcast will be our twelfth lesson in the Gospel of John, and we're going to cover John chapter 3, verses 22 through 36. And in doing so, we'll be finishing up John chapter 3. So hear the word of the Lord as it is found in John chapter 3, verses 22 through 36. After these things, Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there he was spending time with them and baptizing. John also was baptizing in Anon near Salim because there was much water there, and people were coming and were being baptized, for John had not yet been thrown into prison. Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification, 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. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him. 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. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies, and no one receives his testimony. He who has received his testimony has set his seal to this that God is true. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life. But the wrath of God abides on him. We all know the Tenth Commandment, and if you don't know the Tenth Commandment, it is simply this you shall not covet. To covet covetousness is a jealous desire for what belongs to another, or wanting something jealously that you don't have. The Tenth Commandment prohibits coveting anything physical, such as an automobile, a house, your neighbor's wife, anything that belongs to your neighbor, some other thing or some other person. But the tenth commandment also forbids coveting less tangible things like power, prestige, and popularity. Our text today gives us an example of one who obeys the Tenth Commandment. From today's text, we are reminded that all that we have comes from God, and everything we do should point to Jesus Christ, because in him is the world's hope of salvation. Now let's quickly recall verses 1 through 21. In these verses, Jesus brings up the need for the new birth. The new birth is a radical transformation where we receive new life from God. This was the message that Jesus gave to Nicodemus when he came to visit Jesus by night. The new birth is the sovereign work of God, and it is not something we do ourselves. Furthermore, those who are born of God are the same as those who believe in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life, kingdom life. Those who reject God's salvation are under God's judgment. And that in a nutshell is a summary of what verses one through twenty-one of this chapter are all about. Now the first thing I want you to note today from our text is John the Baptist's ministry belongs to God. Let's look at verse 22. After these things, Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there he was spending time with them and baptizing. Now the last geographical location we saw where Jesus ministered was Jerusalem during Passover in chapter 2, verse 23, and it was there that Jesus cleansed the temple. So now after these things, John the evangelist, who wrote this gospel, tells us that Jesus then went to the land of Judea. Since Jerusalem was in Judea, John must be telling us that Jesus went to the Judean countryside, removed from the city and its immediate environs. There he spends time baptizing with his disciples. Of all the gospel writers, only John records this episode, though we are told in chapter 4, verse 2, that the disciples were actually the ones performing the baptisms, while Jesus apparently oversaw their activities. Now it appears Jesus carried on this practice in conjunction with John the Baptist's ministry, which was a call to repentance, and this was the message that Jesus preached also, a message of repentance, as you can see by looking at Matthew chapter 4, verse 17, in the Gospel of Matthew, of course. Now let's look at verses 23 and 24. John also was baptizing in Anon near Salim because there was much water there, and people were coming and were being baptized, for John had not yet been thrown into prison. John the Baptist was also baptizing in a place called Anon near Salim. Now the word Anon means springs, which explains why there was much water there for John to carry on his baptisms. Now no one is 100% certain as to where Anon was, though there are a couple of good possibilities which we won't get into today. Now, according to verse 24, John the Baptist had not yet been thrown into prison. Why did John, the writer of this gospel, include this detail? Clearly, John the Baptist couldn't be baptizing if he were already in prison. The reference to John not being in prison is probably to give us a chronological frame of reference. A little investigation shows Matthew and Mark don't begin recording Jesus' preaching ministry until after John was in prison, after which Jesus went to Galilee to begin preaching about the kingdom. So by recording this episode in Jesus' ministry in John chapter 3, John is letting us know that Jesus performed a Judean ministry before he began his Galilean ministry in Mark chapter 1 or Matthew chapter 4. Let's look at verses 25 and 26. Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification. And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who is with you beyond the Jordan to whom you have testified, behold, he is baptizing, and all are coming to him. John's disciples get into a discussion with an unnamed Jew regarding purification rituals. In the midst of this discussion, John's disciples realize that Jesus' ministry is growing bigger than John's ministry. We're not given a lot of details, so we can only conjecture some of what is happening here, but perhaps what happened is something along these lines. Water was a big part of Jewish ritual purification. John is baptizing in water, so this debate arose how this would fit in with Jewish ritualistic practices. Since Jesus is also baptizing, his name came up, at which point John's disciples discuss how more people are following Jesus than John. This alarms John's disciples who go to John and inform him that his ministry is being overshadowed by Jesus' success. But let's take a look at John's response. Look at verses 27 and 28. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him. When informed that Jesus was becoming more popular than he, John responds, The ministry I have is the one God gave me. What I have accomplished is according to his sovereign plans and purposes. I'm not the Christ, but have been sent to point the way to him. That's my mission, and no more. The point is, John performed the ministry God entrusted to him, and John had no expectation of further growth or influence. God gave John a ministry to perform, but he did not give John a ministry to control. What John the Baptist is saying here is a common theme in the Bible. As we go through the scriptures, we see that the ministries people perform are gracious gifts from God, which we hold as stewards or managers. The ministries that we have are entrusted to us by God, and they are to be done for his glory. We can see something of this in Peter's teaching in 1 Peter 4, verses 10 and 11, as each one has received a special gift. Employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God. Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. All of us in the church have been given gifts. Some gifts are speaking gifts, some are serving gifts, some are administrative gifts, some have the gift of evangelism, and we could go on and on regarding the gifts that God has given to his people. But Peter says the gifts that we have are a stewardship entrusted to us by God, and we perform those gifts not for ourselves, but for him, that he might receive the glory. Again, the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter 3, verses 1 through 3, For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for the sake of you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you, that my revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. Here Paul says that he's been given a stewardship of God's grace, namely an apostolic ministry, wherein he proclaims a mystery. Now, in the context of Ephesians chapter 3, the mystery is that Gentiles are now fellow heirs with the Jews and equal members with them in the body of Christ. Regardless, Paul's ministry was a gracious gift from God. And if you read on down through Ephesians chapter 3, particularly verses 1 through 8, you'll see that several times Paul says that his ministry, the one that he has, is something God has given to him by his grace. This is something all of us need to take to heart, regardless of the ministry that we have, regardless of the gift that we have. Whether it's serving milk and cookies to kindergartners in Sunday school, or whether it's running a seminary, whether it is cleaning up the church after a wedding or pastoring the church, what we have is ultimately not our own. The ministries we have are a trust, a stewardship that God has given to us. Too many times we can take for granted that what we have is ours. Therefore, we can do with what is ours as we see fit. This is my children's ministry. I've always planned the church picnic. I've always been the one to direct the elementary Sunday school play. It's my church, and no one has the right to tell me how I should run it. It's my ministry to plan, it's my ministry to perform, and the sovereignty of God, the needs of the church, or the effectiveness of the ministry, or the needs of my flock are of no consequence. It's my ministry, and I'll do as I please. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 1 through 7, we can see how wrong that attitude is. Paul writes that he is a steward of his ministry and has been faithful in executing it. Then he asks the Corinthians in verse 7, What do you have that you have not received? And if you've received it, why do you act like you haven't received it? In the Corinthian church, filled with pride, selfishness, and factions, Paul must remind the Corinthians that all they have is from God, and their claims to spiritual superiority and selfish ambition are all evil. John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, and many others in the Scriptures all saw the ministries that they had as a stewardship to which God had entrusted them, and that is true of us in our church ministries, and it's also true of everything that we have our children, our time, our job, our money, our home, our investments, and anything else that you can think of. Of course, we all want what's best for all of these things, but should our plans fail or our hopes fade, do we bemoan our fate and scramble to reclaim what is ours? Or do we say with Job, the Lord gave, and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord? Do we get bent out of shape and do we get all disturbed like John the Baptist's disciples did when he they were upset that he was losing parishioners, as it were, and Jesus was getting more followers? Or are we like John the Baptist, who says, It's not my ministry, it's God's. Francis Schaefer was a 20th century theologian and Christian philosopher who founded Labri Ministries. He started out in a village in Switzerland, and students and travelers from around the world could visit there and stay there, living as a family and learning about Jesus Christ. They would have their philosophical questions answered, they would hear Francis Schaefer's apologetic defense of Christianity and live together as a sort of a community while they all were instructed about Jesus. Thousands of people throughout the years came to Jesus Christ through Labris ministry. And Francis Schaefer was once at a conference where he lectured on theological topics and he explained Labris ministries and what they were all about. He explained to the audience that LeBris was absolutely free of charge to those who visited it, and the ministry was totally dependent upon free will donations by supporters. At the end of his lecture during a question and answer period, someone asked him what he would do if the donations that funded his ministry were not enough to cover his expenses. His reply was classic. He said, Then I guess we would just get smaller. You see, Francis Schaeffer understood like the Apostle Paul understood, like the Apostle Peter understood, and like John the Baptist understood, that whatever ministry we have, whatever function we might perform in the church, whatever need we fill, is a gift from God, a stewardship entrusted to us, and He can do with it what He pleases. Beloved, if whatever ministry you have grows a hundredfold and the gospel spreads throughout all the world and souls are saved through your efforts, if your church grows to the point where thousands are saved, where dozens of missionaries are supported all around the world, bringing sinners to salvation, where through your church hardship and pain and suffering are relieved for thousands of people all over the world. Or on another level, if you got a new job and made ten times as much money as you do now, if you had many children and an army of grandchildren, if all you hoped for in terms of material possessions became yours and you prospered beyond your wildest dreams, if all your prayers were answered in the way you hoped, all of that would be good if you understood that all of it was God's, all of it was God's doing, and you were called to manage it for his glory. But if our ministries on this earth fail, and none of our prayers are answered the way we had hoped, and our hopes for family and employment and success all came to nothing, you would still do well if you understood all of it is God's, all of it is God's doing, and he is glorified by it. And that really is the crux of the issue. Instead of seeking to build our own kingdom or defend our own territory, we should strive to glorify Jesus Christ and praise him for what he sees to do fit with what is his. And that brings me to my second point here. Our ministries and our lives should exalt Jesus Christ. At the end of the American Revolution, George Washington having defeated Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown, many in the Continental Army began to fear that maybe Congress would not make good on their promises to pay their military pensions. In the ranks of the military, talk began circulating that perhaps George Washington should assume the title of king over a constitutional monarchy to make sure the soldiers got their pay. On May 22nd, 1782, Colonel Lewis Nicola wrote what is known as the Newburg Letter proposing the idea to George Washington that he become king. Troubled by this suggestion, General Washington wrote back to Colonel Nicola a long letter in which he said, in part, Be assured, sir, no occurrence in the course of the war has given me more painful sensations than your information of there being such ideas existing in the army as you have expressed, and I must view with abhorrence and reprehend with severity. I am much at a loss to conceive what part of my conduct could have given encouragement to an address which to me seems big with the greatest mischiefs that can befall my country. If I am not deceived in the knowledge of myself, you could not have found a person to whom your schemes are more disagreeable. Let me conjure you then, let me beseech you, let me encourage you then, if you have any regard for your country, concern for yourself or posterity, or respect for me, to banish these thoughts from your mind and never communicate as from yourself or anyone else a sentiment of the like nature. With esteem, I am your most obedient servant, George Washington. George Washington did not want to be king over his own kingdom. He hated the idea of instituting a monarchy after having just defeated one in order to build a new nation. He was not a self-aggrandizing opportunist. Instead, he wondered what was the best for his country. John the Baptist is facing a similar temp temptation, which he also repudiates. Like George Washington, John the Baptist was popular, had political power, was a gifted preacher, and even gained the respect of Herod. Who, of course, later executed him in Mark chapter 6. John the Baptist was also by temperament very blunt and fiery and unflinchingly courageous. But for all these gifts, power, and popularity, his ministry was not about him. He was never interested in prestige or personal gain. Let's pick up again in verse 28, which we've already read, and then we'll also look at verse 29. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him. 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. So this joy of mine has been made full. Having reminded his followers he is not the Christ, but had only been sent to prepare the way for him, John makes use of an illustration, the friend of the bridegroom, to drive home his point. The friend of the bridegroom was something like the best man in modern weddings. The friend of the bridegroom helped with the arrangements for the wedding and made sure the wedding was a joyful occasion. A friend of the bridegroom was not there to be in the spotlight, but rather to rejoice for and with the groom. He didn't draw attention to himself, he drew attention to the groom. Now, as an aside, there are several Old Testament passages that refer to Israel or the faithful remnant to be God's bride. For example, Isaiah 62, verses 4 and 5, Jeremiah 2, verse 2, and others. Thus, John the Baptist may very well be using this wedding illustration to make the claim that Jesus is Israel's expected bridegroom, their God, their Messiah and King. Furthermore, John the Apostle who wrote this gospel certainly knew that Jesus was seen as the husband to his bride, the church, as we read in Ephesians chapter 5. That's part of Paul's theology, obviously. So by inserting this episode left out by the synoptic writers, John reminds us that Jesus and the church fulfill the role seen in God's relationship with Israel in the Old Testament. In other words, the church is the true Israel, not that the church has replaced Israel, but that Gentiles now are joined with the Jews to make up the one true people of God. And that's the mystery I mentioned a few moments ago from Ephesians chapter 3. Having said all that, the point John the Baptist is making is clear. Like the friend of the bridegroom, I'm not the center of attention. Jesus is, and my joy is complete, seeing him exalted. Now look at verse 30. He must increase, but I must decrease. Fittingly, these are the last words spoken by John the Baptist in this gospel. I've fulfilled my mission, he says. I've accomplished the ministry given to me, and now it's time for me to fade into the background while Jesus comes to the forefront. Like starlight pales in comparison to the glow of the morning sun, now John the Baptist's star dims in comparison to the glorious light of Jesus Christ. Friends, John the Baptist is a case study in humility. He never tried to be more than he was supposed to be. He never tried to build his own personal kingdom or place himself at the head of the table. If you recall from chapter 1, he even sent away his own disciples to follow Jesus. After John's death, Jesus in Matthew chapter 11 says that John the Baptist was a great servant of the Lord. But John assumed nothing for himself, and even mentioned, as you recall, that he was not worthy to take off Jesus' shoes. John's job was to point people to Christ, that he might succeed and receive all the glory. For John to be jealous of Jesus would be like a menu being jealous of the meal, or of an appetizer being jealous of the entree. But woe to him who would use the ministry for his own personal gain. Woe to him who would seek to steal the master's thunder by exalting himself. Woe to him who would use Jesus as a platform to feed his own ego, to enhance his own reputation, to further his own plans, to showcase his ministry. Woe to him who, like Simon the magician in Acts chapter 8, thinks the power of God was a commodity to be bought and sold. We can only say to such people what Peter said to Simon. Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible the intention of your heart may be forgiven you, for I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity. Is it not wickedness to use Jesus Christ for one's own personal gain? Is it not pride to seek to exalt oneself over Jesus? Is it not ingratitude questioning God's goodness, having given us a place in his kingdom and having given us so many spiritual and temporal gifts? Is it not a denial of God's wisdom to seek to take for self what he has not granted? Is it not an assault on God's sovereignty, seeking to control Him for our amusement? Over the years there have been more examples than we can count of pastors or other church leaders, even laymen, who have brought shame and reproach upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in his church because they have gotten caught up in sexual scandals or financial scandals, who have used the church and the name of the Lord Jesus to gain political power or pursue wealth or to push godless and wicked social agendas, all because they are more concerned with self-serving personal gain than they are with exalting Jesus Christ. Such examples are a far cry from John the Baptist's last words recorded in this gospel. He must increase, but I must decrease. And those final words are an epitaph any Christian should want on his tombstone. Well, first we pointed out that all we have is God's, and since that is true, we then noted we are to exalt Jesus Christ over self. Thirdly, we point to Jesus Christ because Jesus is God's supreme revelation to man. And we see that in verses thirty-one through thirty-six. As with verses sixteen through twenty-one, verses thirty-one to thirty-six are most likely the Apostle John's commentary on what we've already seen in this chapter. For one thing, there are no first person pronouns in verses thirty-one to thirty-six and no indication that a conversation is occurring. Secondly, as Hermann Ritterbose, a commentaryist scholar, how he points out in his commentary, there are numerous points of contact between verses 31 through 36 and earlier text in this chapter. These points of contact appear to be restatements of what has already been taught. Jesus comes from heaven in verse 31, that relates back to verse 13. Of the earth and speaks of the earth in verse 31, reflects back on verses 6 and 12. Bear witness to what he has seen and heard in verse 32 corresponds to verse 11. Not receiving hit the testimony in verse 32 corresponds back to verse 11 as well. The gift of the Spirit is mentioned in verse 34, looking back to verse 5. Believe the Son and eternal life in verse 36, looks back to verses 15 and 16. The subject of judgment in verse 36 corresponds to verse 18. There are other points of contact as well between these verses and earlier portions of the chapter. But let's see what John is saying in these six verses. Look at verses thirty-one and thirty-two. He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth, he who comes from heaven is above all. What he has seen and heard of that he testifies, and no one receives his testimony. Earthly witnesses are capable of only witnessing in a limited way. At best, earthly witnesses are finite, and their knowledge is incomplete. John's ministry as good as it was, was finite compared to the fuller revelation of Jesus who came from heaven. And regardless of who those earthly witnesses are, though that witness may be trustworthy, we would not trust the earthly witness over a heavenly one. But Jesus is above all, and since he brings his message from heaven, relating what he saw and heard from the Father, his message is superior to anything on earth that an earthly witness can bring. Unfortunately, though Jesus' message was from above, from heaven, sinful man rejects it. Look at verse 33. He who has received his testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. Those who do receive Jesus' testimony have validated or confirmed or certified that God is true and faithful. To believe Jesus is to believe God, which is a theme we're going to see repeated throughout this gospel. At any rate, believing in Jesus is a confession that God's ways are true and right. We acknowledge that God keeps his promises and that his promises and commands are valid. When we believe in Jesus, we acknowledge that God's promise to save his people is trustworthy. We acknowledge that we need the new birth. We acknowledge that we need salvation, only God can bring. We confess that Jesus is the Lagos, the Word of God who has come in the flesh to reveal the Father to us. Furthermore, we confirm God's message that we are sinful, that we are under his judgment, and only he can rescue us from our plight. When we receive Jesus, when we believe in him, we confirm all of this is true. As Romans chapter 3, verse 4 says, Let God be true and every man a liar. But how is it that by believing Jesus' testimony we affirm that God is true? Well, look at verses 34 and 35. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. The reason believing Jesus' testimony affirms that God is true is because Jesus has been given the Holy Spirit without measure, so he speaks the very words of God. So if we believe Jesus' words, we believe the Father who sent him. If we consider Jesus to be true, then we confirm that God is true. Furthermore, since the Father loves the Son, he gives all things into his hand, something we also read in Matthew chapter 11, verse 27. So then Jesus knows all truth, expresses all truth, brings salvation, receives authority to judge, embodies and expresses God's love, and is entrusted with God's plans on earth in every regard. Since Jesus exercises all divine attributes and prerogatives, to believe the Son is to believe God, to believe the Son's words are to believe the Father's words. To claim the Son is to certify the validity of God's activity among men. As we read back in John chapter 1, verse 18, no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him. Now let's look at verse 36. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. The themes in this verse are a restatement of John 3, 16 and 17. Since the Father hath given all things to the Son, then to believe in the Son brings life. This verse tells us that eternal life is not just a future hope, but it is a present possession. The believer has eternal life. We have eternal life now. On the other hand, to disobey the Son means God's wrath abides on or remains on the sinner. Now the idea of not obeying the Son does not somehow imply a works righteousness, but rather it refers to heeding the command to believe in Jesus. If one disobeys the command to believe in Jesus, which is the condition for eternal life, then the sinner is denied eternal life and is still under the wrath of God. So in the same way believers now have eternal life, though we have not yet enjoyed its fullness in heaven, so unbelievers are under the wrath of God now, though they have not yet experienced its fullness in hell. So what then is the bottom line of verses 31 through 36, which summarizes verses 1 through 30? John's point in verses 31 through 36 is this people need the new birth. People need to believe in Jesus Christ. Because human knowledge and understanding is limited and finite, we need Jesus, who is God's revelation from heaven, to bring salvation to a world that is under the wrath of God. We need salvation from one who is true because we are not true, we are sinful, we are false, we are untrustworthy and unreliable, and we need salvation from above because since we are from earth, we are all limited in our understanding and abilities. Without a true message from above, we cannot objectively analyze our condition. If we are all dead in a spiritual graveyard, who from the graveyard can give life? The answer is no one among sinners can bring life. Only Jesus, who is from heaven, can give life. How many times have you heard that because of government corruption we need another government agency to oversee the corruption in government? Note the irony. Why do we think that people in another government agency would somehow be less corrupt than the people in the other government agencies that it is investigating? What is really needed is someone in government who is not corrupt and cannot be corrupted, who stands outside the system to eliminate the evil that is in it. Suppose all the sailors on board a ship are blind. If that is true, what difference does it make which one takes the helm to navigate through treacherous waters? As Jesus said in Luke chapter 6, verse 39, if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into the ditch. What is really needed is a captain who has perfect vision to make sure that the ship sails safely. What we need in the spiritual realm then is someone to save us who gives guidance to the corrupt, to the uh to the to the wicked, and gives sight to the blind, life to the dead, and who dwells with common mortals to show us the way of truth and righteousness and salvation, we must repudiate the fantasy that we will somehow save ourselves, which only leads to ruin, and instead fall on Jesus Christ for mercy, so that the judgment of God which hangs over us might be removed and we can enter the kingdom of light and truth. We who are saddled with spiritual death and darkness, who are beset with idolatry and lying and adultery, gossip, self-righteousness, impurity, pride, selfishness, anger, hate, drunkenness, violence, vindictiveness, ingratitude, and a host of other sins. We need someone who is free from all of those things, who comes from outside and above this sinful world, who enters into it and does for us what we could never do for ourselves. And that one is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. He is the one who has come from heaven. He is the one who speaks God's word. He is the one who is the embodiment of God's truth. As I often emphasize on this podcast, please do not reject him. Turn to Jesus Christ in faith and repentance that you might be saved. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, the wrath of God abides on you. Without him you stand condemned and will be eternally banished from his presence. But in Jesus Christ you have life, new life, eternal life, and assurance that you will spend eternity in the kingdom of God in unending peace and joy. Turn to him from your sin. Trust him to deliver you. And if you do trust Jesus Christ for your salvation, please send me an email at crosstownmht@gmail.com. Again, that's crosstownmht@gmail.com. And let me know about your new life in him. I am eager to hear about your turning to him in faith, and I will rejoice in your salvation. Well, friends, that finishes up today's podcast here at Crosstown. I sincerely hope you were blessed by today's lesson, and furthermore, I hope that God was glorified and Jesus Christ was magnified with what we accomplished today. I trust the Lord will guide and protect you until we meet again next week. Peace be with you. This is Crosstown, and I am Pastor David Spaugh. I'm looking forward to being with you next week. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright nineteen ninety-five by the Lochman Foundation, used by permission, all rights reserved, www.lockman.org.