 The title of our sermon this morning is magnify the Lord Jesus Christ magnify the Lord Jesus Christ and our passage is John chapter 3 Verses 22 to 36 and we're gonna be studying this passage on the the tale So to speak of that conversation with Nicodemus a glorious passage of Scripture We come now to John chapter 3 verses 22 through 36 and in this passage in John chapter 3 We're going through now a bit of a transition John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament Prophets so to speak and the torch now is being passed. He had enjoyed great popularity for a time Bible says that all Judea was coming out to hear him preach and wanting to be baptized by him But now Jesus Christ has come the mediator of a new and better covenant and after his miracles now and the Cleansing of the temple Masses are coming out to follow Christ and John is beginning like a dimmer switch on your light So to speak John is beginning to dim as a light from the scene of history and Jesus Christ has now come Everything that the forerunner has come to do the purpose of the forerunner the mission of the forerunner Everything that he's come to do is about magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ the promised Messiah And just like John the Baptist that's our mission as well We are sent to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ to bear witness of him We are to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ So that all those who come to believe in him as the son the Christ Might have life in his name Now that happens through our words through the preaching of the gospel what we say it also happens through our life the content of our preaching and the Substance of our lived out faith as we live in this world for the Lord Jesus Christ That mission both the preaching and the life is Beautifully exemplified for us in the great example of John the Baptist that we see that example here in John chapter 3 That's an example that we're to follow. We are to follow that example The point of this passage the point of John's ministry and our point today is that we are Privileged blessed by God to be able to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ both of our preaching and with our lives There are many ways in which that is done here by John and let's learn from his example. I want to give you over the next two weeks Multiple ways from this passage that we can magnify the Lord Jesus Christ many ways that we see John Magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ woven into this passage and again We're to follow that example. These are ways that we are also to magnify the Lord first from verse 22 I want you to see that we are to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ with our labor Magnify the Lord with labor in verse 22 the Bible says after these things Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea and there he remained with them and baptized Now John also was baptizing in Anon near Salim because there was much water there And they came and were baptized for John had not yet been thrown into prison Woven into this passage We see John and his disciples the Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples Laboring in the ministry it begins in verse 22. So after these things after the cleansing of the temple After the miracles that we saw Jesus Christ performing during the feast week after Passover in Jerusalem and after that profound conversation with Nicodemus by night Sometime after these things Jesus and his disciples left the city of Jerusalem for the Judean countryside and the work Of the ministry continues. You think about it for a moment Jesus and his disciples John the Baptist could have resided in Jerusalem. It was a city. There were many comforts there There were a lot of people there They could have stayed in the city and witnessed but they left the comfort of the city because there was work to be done They take off into the Judean countryside because the gospel had to be preached There was a baptism of repentance that needed to be preached and they took off into the countryside to do that They left their conveniences behind They left comfort behind they went out into that countryside where there was no Place for the son of man to lay his head. They went out into the countryside where Birds have nests foxes have holes in the ground, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head They went out into the countryside to do the work of the ministry now once there We see that Jesus both remained there with his disciples And too he baptized now from chapter 4 verse 2 We know from there that it wasn't Jesus Christ himself that baptized it was his disciples that baptized But lest you think that's a contradiction between those two passages think about it this way Here it is said that Jesus baptized or his disciples baptized The disciples were doing the baptizing under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus Christ in his office and in his authority took responsibility for those baptisms in that sense both Jesus And his disciples were baptizing But people were coming out to hear him preach In the same way that John the Baptist went out into the wilderness of Judea To preach repentance to preach repent for the kingdom of heaven's at hand Jesus Christ continued that work and preached repentance himself We know that from Matthew chapter 4 verse 17 Where the bible says jesus came preaching repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand That is to turn from your sin To prepare your heart to follow the Lord Jesus Christ It is a turn from your sin People were responding to that call to repentance and they were following that call with commitment With the symbol of baptism. They were being baptized an outward symbol of an inward reality an inward repentance in the heart displayed or manifested in an outward symbol of baptism Let's focus for a moment on that word remain Deetreba in the greek remain There were a few different words that could have been used here for remain, but the holy spirit chose this particular word Deetreba is a word that means to spend time But it carries the sense of working away that time It literally means to rub through something to wear it away wear something away in this sense It means to labor With the time that you have one dictionary dictionary said it is conceived of as vigorously rubbing away An allocation of time The same word is used in ax chapter 14 verse 3 Where paul remained Vigorously rubbed away an allocation of time that he had in a synagogue at iconium preaching the word of god and doing miracles this word deetreba means to Labor spend lengthy time laboring here specifically Laboring to magnify the lord jesus christ laboring in ministry Here it is laboring in the ministry At the same time that jesus and his disciples were laboring in the judaean countryside North of jesus and anon john the baptist was also working In verse 23 he was also laboring for the lord and baptizing now. It's interesting as a footnote Why did john the baptist choose that spot? He chose that spot because the bible says there was much water there Now think about it for a moment and let's establish this as important. This is an example in scripture There was much water there He wouldn't have needed much water if all he was going to do was sprinkle or pour right But he needed much water. Why? Because baptism is immersion is a plunging. It's what it means It tells us much about the method in practice of baptism at that time The word baptizo means to immerse it means to plunge to put under the water You need something more than ankle deep water to do that, right? All you need is ankle deep water if you're going to sprinkle or pour But if you're going to immerse you need much water That was the practice of baptism at that time. We need to do it right today Follow the lord's example and do baptism the way it's supposed to be done This isn't christian baptism by the way not yet, but it's leading up to it christian baptism Is a reflection is a symbol of the death burial and resurrection of the lord jesus christ And christian baptism is instituted after those things take place It is to picture the death burial and resurrection of jesus christ This is a baptism of repentance In this sense symbolizing a cleansing from sin or a turning from sin And so they're baptizing working here laboring in the ministry So john the baptist here Laboring an anon for the lord with the time that he had left It's telling that verse verse 24 verse 24 gives us a little bit of an insight into john's ministry Verse 24 says that john had not yet been thrown into prison That simple little statement tells us a lot when it tells us that john's time is limited John's time is limited and we know what the end will be the result of his labor for the lord That simple little statement is a testimony of how john the baptist Magnified the lord jesus christ and his labor for him john would soon be arrested by king herod Because he took a stand for righteousness As we come to find out from the other gospels john was eventually beheaded So jesus christ labored for his father until his death john labored for the lord until his death So here's the point The glorious responsibility Of the forerunner Was to point people to jesus christ to magnify The lord jesus christ in his ministry. How did he do that? How did he do that? He did that by faithfully laboring in the ministry that the lord gave to him This wasn't as you go This wasn't preserving john the baptist convenience or comfort You know john didn't wake up with a closet full of clothes And four or five or six or eight or ten pairs of shoes to choose from He wore camel's hair a leather belt He ate locus and wild honey and he was out in the judy and countryside laboring for the lord And he faithfully labored at that mission Faithfully labored at that mission despite his circumstances until his death And how did he faithfully labor? Why did he faithfully labor? Because he trusted the lord jesus christ because of faith in christ It was said that john the baptist had the spirit of god from his birth So in the the empowerment and enablement of the spirit of god by faith in christ and the strength of the spirit of god john the baptist Magnified the lord jesus christ with his labor for the lord You and i have the same mission You and i have the same mission We are to magnify The lord jesus christ in our ministry for him for all that christ has done is in our own hearts in our own lives We are walking trophies of the grace of god And we are to magnify the lord jesus christ who bought us with his own blood And we too filled with the holy spirit praise god that he doesn't give us the spirit by measure But he gives us everything that we need that pertains the life and godliness All of the spirit when we're born of god And we're to serve him we're to magnify the lord jesus christ with our labor When i think about the the ministry of john the baptist I'm always reminded of one of my favorite passages of scripture and i want you to turn there with me It's hebrus chapter 11. I love hebrus chapter 11 And here we see Those who have labor to magnify the lord jesus christ with their ministry as well hebrus chapter 11 You know it takes labor it takes effort It takes intention it takes planning it takes god's word But it also takes faith a courageous faith and ambitious faith Resolve and it takes the holy spirit of god Hebrus chapter 11 look down beginning at verse 30 Look at this passage of scripture the jewish christians Who got this letter? Were tempted in their circumstances to keep one foot in christianity and the other foot in the world One foot in christianity the other foot in judeism and their false religion at the time They were tempted to keep one foot Following christ which was difficult and for which they would face persecution And the other foot in their comfort In their convenience and what they were used to they were chained up so to speak chained to those comforts Chained to false religion chained to what had they'd been brought up in And the point here in hebrus chapter 11 is to show them show those hebrus christians That their old testament brothers and sisters were not like that When their old testament brothers and sisters came to put faith In god in the coming messiah. They were all In they were sold out so to speak when they put their faith in god. They put all of themselves into it Look at verse 30 By faith the walls of jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days Now think about it for a moment the bible says that jericho feared israel But also those citizens of jericho probably thought it was a little bit ridiculous to see the israelites circling the city Right to see them out marching But you don't hear Either here or in joshua 6 where this is recounted for us You don't hear about the israelites complaining You don't hear the israelites saying anything about being embarrassed about going out and marching around the city seven times You don't hear them grumbling They trusted the lord And in faith in the enablement of the spirit of god They went out and marched and blew trumpets and shouted and the walls of jericho came down They just trusted god and they went out administered labored for the lord verse 31 By faith the harlot rahab did not perish with those who did not believe again. That's the word a pay phone That's that word we've looked at just previously here It means to disobey rahab did not perish with those who did not obey the lord When she had received the spies with peace I think about it. Rahab was a prostitute Rahab was a prostitute and in faith Took a courageous stand for righteousness in a tremendously wicked city Jericho was a tremendously wicked city Heard of the stories about jericho and those walls that came tumbling down when the israelites marched around them seven times those walls were packed in with pots that the citizens of jericho filled with live babies as a sacrifice To their gods for the protection of their city actually put live Children in clay pots and walled them cemented them into the walls around jericho It was a wicked city a wicked city Yet rahab a prostitute By courageous faith took a stand to magnify the lord in her obedience to him and Rahab here in the whole of faith and he was chapter 11 A prostitute who was the mother of boaz who married ruth The great great grandmother of david An ancestor of the lord jesus christ It's awesome to think about It's awesome to think about Verse 32 he goes on what more shall I say for the time would fail me to tell of gideon and barrack and samson and jefta Also of david and samuel and the prophets so many stories about these men Gideon went into battle with 300 men that he chose from 32 000 men On the basis of how they lapped water from a stream Took 32 000 Narrowed it down narrowed it down again 300 those 300 then great courageous faith right great courageous faith in the lord ambitious to magnify their lord with their obedience to him went into battle with trumpets And pots with torches in them Went into fight an innumerable army. They were they were greatly outnumbered Went to fight the battle with trumpets and pots and torches in them Great faith They obeyed the lord verse 33 all these through faith Says here subdued kingdoms worked righteousness obtained promises stopped the mouths of lions quenched the violence of fire Escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong They became valiant in battle turned to flight the armies of the aliens women received their dead raised the life again Others were tortured listen to this they were tortured Not accepting deliverance that they because they wanted to obtain a better resurrection They were tortured Not accepting deliverance because of the resurrection that they were looking forward to We have a great resurrection There's a resurrection. There's an inheritance that you if you are in christ by repentant faith you have a glorious Resurrection to look forward to a glorious inheritance What will you give up to serve the lord? Some of you won't give up the convenience Of an hour at home To go out and share the gospel with lost people Maybe you won't give up the discomfort Of the fear of man to go out and talk to a lost person about christ just too uncomfortable to you too inconvenient We have such leisure. We're so prone to be sucked in by the leisure and comforts and pleasures of this world That we won't sacrifice we won't Diligently put forth effort to go out and serve the lord to see that the lord jesus christ is magnified By our labor for him They weren't willing to take the easy out the easy way out by denying the word of god By denying god they weren't willing to take the easy way out But willing to face whatever comes whether it's torture or death or in our day and age A little bit of discomfort a little bit of inconvenience right a little bit of time out of our schedule They would take even torture and death because of the resurrection that they were looking forward to That they were waiting for Verse 36 goes on still others had trial of mockings. That's a mental anguish, right? That's a A mental drain to put up with that that Verbal persecution right we face that today don't we The trial of mockings, but then he also says and scourgings. That's physical physical persecution They were under physical persecution and of chains and of imprisonment. They were stoned They were sawn into Were tempted were slain with the sword They wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins being destitute being afflicted being tormented Is that the kind of christianity we see today? No, that's what they faced for the lord. That's what they faced for the lord. Look at what they gave up to serve him They gave up their own comfort They wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins being destitute Giving up everything to follow the lord being afflicted being tormented listen to this of whom This ridiculous wicked deplorable world was not worthy This world is not even worthy. They should have been present among us They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth Some brothers and sisters this this faith is a costly faith The bible says That we are to count the cost in coming to christ, but what cost have you paid think about it for a moment If you're following the lord with all your heart soul mind and strength, you're paying a price for your faith. Are you not? What cost examine your own heart examine your condition examine your situation now what cost At this point in time in our circumstance Often the most we have to give up is our time Is some conveniences Maybe some leisure Is the lord want us to rest amen rest is a gift from god But we're not to be consumed by that We have an eternity to rest now. We are to labor to magnify the lord jesus christ Will you give up some of your time will you give up some of your comfort some of your Leisure to magnify the lord jesus christ with your labor This is to be a costly faith. It's to be an ambitious faith a determined faith a courageous faith God doesn't promise you comfort Doesn't promise you convenience and we are not to be enslaved entrapped with the trappings of this wicked world We're not to be Chained to our comforts and our leisure and our pleasures We're to labor we're to exercise a costly faith and we're to magnify the lord jesus christ with our labor for him Verse 39 goes on all these having obtained a good testimony through faith Did not receive the promise in other words They didn't receive the immediate blessing or the immediate deliverance But they were looking forward to the ultimate promise of christ the ultimate promises being fulfilled Verse 40 god having provided something better for us. That's the new covenant that they should not be made perfect apart from us In verse 12 the exhortation listen Therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us It's not here as if You're running Before this cloud of witnesses in heaven that is looking down on you approving or disapproving Our approving is from the lord jesus christ alone. We with our running magnify the lord jesus christ alone But we as they did are to run Frequently reminded of james's prayer Uh speaking of how we Are a man or men and women like elijah was elijah a man like us Prayed that the heavens would be shut up for three years from rain And what happened the heavens were shut up from rain And he's a man just like we are with a spirit of god just like we have We're to serve as they did we're to run with endurance the way that they ran We're to drop the weight Of apathy drop that weight of weariness or indifference you've got to drop that Drop the ball and chain of your comforts and conveniences or leisure's drop the ball and chain of your Blame shifting for all the excuses that you make for why you don't fervently serve the lord. Listen stop the excuses Don't allow yourself to make excuses drop those and serve labor for the lord magnifying lord jesus christ with your labor And drop that sin that so easily ensnares us it may just be sin of neglect May just be the sin of laziness sluggardliness Maybe the sin of apathy or the sin of indifference, but we Serve the lord jesus christ and we have an eternal inheritance. This life is a vapor It's passing and it's going to go away We're going to be in heaven one day run with endurance now It's interesting there. We're to run. We're not to jog We're not to fast walk, you know We're not to sit. We're not to lie down We're to run An erase if you're gonna run in a race it requires great endurance. It requires great effort great determination You can't slow down when the going gets tough. Do you get tired in a race? Absolutely But you keep pressing on you run with endurance The one who is out to win Doesn't stop when their muscles start to ache they press through When they fall down they get up they keep running. They're gonna be times when you feel exhausted I completely relate to that there are times when I feel exhausted There are times when we're prone to be weary Times when we're prone to give up throw in the towel That's where faith comes in that's where strength by god spirit comes in You're to get back in the race. You may suffer for a while Your thoughts may be occupied squirrel, you know, you get out of the race for a short period of time Listen, you're to get your focus back on the race back on the lord Jesus christ on the ministry that the lord has given you you're not to spend your time out of the race We have a limited allocation of time and we are to labor Vigorously rubbing away that time in service to the lord It's what this is talking about here. We're to get in the race Paul says to run like you're the one who's going to win Run like you're the one who's going to win. That means ambition for the lord. That means Determination that means courage Discipline effort willpower commitment Means strength and it means faith It doesn't promise that it's going to be easy and when it's tough it requires faith And that's faith exemplified for us in chapter 12 verse 2 Looking unto jesus the author and finisher of our faith Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross Despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of god We're to endure this race in christ In the power of the spirit of god if we get weary If you're tempted to slow down If you're attempted to drop out we are to verse 3 consider him Who endured such hostility from sinners against himself Lest you become weary and discouraged in your own souls And you have not yet resisted to bloodshed Striving against sin Some of you won't resist the tv Striving against sin Some some won't resist laziness in the word of god to strive against sin We're so wickedly and deplorably sucked in by comfort Sucked in by leisure. We've got to fight against that. We've got to fight against it Use your time for the lord You need to rest But the rest that you take take so that you can get back into faithful service for the lord Don't be a slave to comfort a slave to rest a slave to pleasure You got to fight against those things and serve the lord if you won't fight against A lack of discipline with your schedule You've got to turn from that and serve the lord Put him in your schedule serve the lord Fight against your own laziness your own sluggardliness with Reading the word of god With being around the people of god With serving the lord faithfully intentionally in evangelism Get back in the race Is all of this in Hebrews 11? Is this all just theoretical? It's just theoretical now. This is this is the ideal, you know, no one's capable of this This is not how we're to really aspire to live the christian life Is it just theoretical here? No, it's not theoretical theoretical these are brothers and sisters of ours old testament saints who lived this We have a mission too Just as they were sent with a mission just as john the baptist was the labor for the lord To magnify the lord jesus christ We have a responsibility with the talents that have been given to us to labor for the lord to magnify the lord jesus christ You know think about the people outside of the church that you've known People that you know outside of the church many of them, you know because of their work, right? Frank is an engineer sally is a teacher Maybe you think of them in terms of a passion, you know, frank is an environmentalist sally spends all her time with a pta You think about them there the way that they are associated with what they do their passions Are you the sports fanatic? Right, maybe you are the fitness nut What is magnified Is what you spend your time and energy and resources doing You want to magnify the fitness industry? Well, then you'll be a fitness nut. You want to magnify mother earth. You'll be an environmentalist It's what you talk most about It's what you spend your resources on it's what you spend your time doing It's what you post most on social media, right? It's what connects you to other people when you're around them Your ministry if you're with christ if you're in christ your ministry is to run for christ If you claim to be a christian your ministry is to labor To magnify the lord jesus christ is not to magnify your hobbies not to magnify your work Not to magnify anything else, but the lord jesus christ and you magnify him by being great at your work you magnify him by Doing that hobby with excellence if you're gonna gonna do that you magnify him by the way that you Labor with your family to have a godly family or a godly marriage You magnify the lord in what you do, but your labor is to magnify the lord jesus christ I remember when I first came to cornerstone before I came to cornerstone I was told about a brother from this church Um, I didn't know what he did for a living. I didn't know anything about him Didn't know where he was from But the guy who introduced us said this of him. He's always witnessing to me He was magnifying the lord jesus christ To me before I even met him The reputation went before him so to speak He was magnifying the lord jesus christ to all those around him by witnessing You know some of you myself included some of us have been given five talents Some of us two and others one writes the parable of the talents in matthew chapter 25 Whether you've been given five two or one I challenge you from the word of god To sit down and determine How you're going to invest those talents for the kingdom How you will invest listen, don't just let them sit under the ground And out of neglect not do anything with them Take those talents that you've been given and determine how you're going to invest them for the kingdom How are you running the race right now? And if you're convicted about this, how are you going to start running it today? What are you going to do today to run that race for the lord? What will be your ministry for the lord be? Ambitious your time is short spend this allocated time rubbing it away laboring for the lord Magnify the lord jesus christ with your labor But next we're to magnify the lord jesus christ with our labor We're also to magnify the lord in contentment with contentment. We see that back in john chapter 3 beginning at verse 25 It says there there arose a dispute Between some of john's disciples and the jews about purification 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 So while john and his disciples were preaching and baptizing and baptizing by immersion A dispute ensued over their practice of baptism now Most likely it was their practice of baptism as it related to the jewish practice of ceremonial cleansing We don't know for sure, but in any event it was about purification It may have been a point about the effectiveness or the usefulness of their baptism Or who should be baptizing because he had john and jesus both baptizing And people running off to jesus to be baptized by him and his disciples And it prompted a response in verse 26 and that's the important issue here It prompted this response from john's disciples about everyone running out to follow jesus And i want you to notice two things about the response in verse 26 one I want you to notice the attitude of john's disciples And then two i want you to see the contrasting attitude of john the baptist first The attitude of john's disciples look at the the impersonal way in which they refer to jesus It's just he who was with you It wasn't the lord jesus christ It wasn't the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world right? That's what john was preaching It was that one about whom you testified that guy who was with you And then note their exaggeration All are going out to him right To them everybody now is going out to jesus This is a demonstration of envy This is a demonstration of discontentment displeasure. They saw All the disciples of their master Now trailing off going off to follow jesus christ and they were looking at this With disappointment disappointment and how the influence of christ was increasing And discontentment over how the influence of john the baptist was decreasing But listen while they were displaying envy while they were displaying a lack of faith or discontentment This is exactly what john the baptist wanted The whole purpose of his ministry was to magnify the lord jesus christ to point people to christ And so when he was seeing people running off to follow the lord jesus christ john the baptist is full of joy Full of joy his joy according to verse 29 was fulfilled that word means they're complete Like done. He is filled with joy that people are off following the lord jesus christ john the baptist knew the plan of god He knew his role in it And he trusted god for the results. He had great faith He had a joyful faith a humble faith a content faith and his joy was fulfilled We're to have that kind of contentment We are to remember in order to be content right That contentment that joy is only possible for the christian Only possible for one who is indwelt by god's spirit because that kind of joy that kind of joy that runs Despite your circumstance is a spirit wrought joy. It is a fruit of the spirit To have that joy to have that contentment. We're to remember we're to understand from scripture I'm sure john the baptist also understood from experience That god is sovereign over all things We're to remember our responsibility is to be faithful to him in all things despite our circumstances. We're just a trust Didn't matter to those israelites walking around those walls Listen guys. We're gonna go out and march Well, what are we gonna do? We're gonna march seven times around around jericho and then we're gonna blow trumpets We're gonna shout the walls are gonna come down. Okay. Let's go march. It's just trusting the lord Just trusting the lord We're to magnify the lord jesus christ By being content to leave the results to leave our conditions our situation our circumstances to him And to be joyful and content in the lord no matter what they are What the lord has for you or what the lord does That kind of commitment that kind of joy is so honoring to the lord Such a beautiful and appealing Adornment of our doctrine right to see genuine christians who respond in their circumstances in that way just beautiful Because it flows out of an understanding Of god an understanding of the scripture that peace which passes all understanding and it beautifully magnifies the lord in us I had the the joy of being able to go out yesterday and visit with a brother and sister Who going through a tough time right? We have a lot of brothers and sisters in our church and at one point or another We go through difficulty. We go through tough times this brother and sister You know it it looks for the time being like things are just crumbling down around them going through a really hard time and yet Such a blessing to me in the way that they respond in that circumstance Just joyful in the lord just trusting the lord in talking to them Just not a doubt In their minds the lord is going to care for them and take care of this content in whatever the lord brings along into their circumstances into their situation Just at peace and at joy in the lord despite very difficult circumstances It is a just a glorious testimony It magnifies the lord jesus christ to see that in a humble servant a humble christian a disciple of the lord It's beautiful You know it was that kind of that kind of joy That kind of contentment right that kind of faith that john wessley saw In the moravians when he took a trip from europe to the american colonies in 1736 john wessley A member of the holy club, you know preaching the word of god already Unconverted not saved he got on that boat Went through difficulty went through storm and saw That contentment that joy that humility and that faith In those moravians as they magnified the lord jesus christ with their trust in him through difficulty with their joy through difficulty And it was that Experience of seeing the lord jesus christ so magnified in their lives That led john wessley to realize that he wasn't saved He didn't have it And he saw that as a fruit of the spirit And that led John wessley not only to realize that he wasn't saved but it led to his conversion The lord opened his eyes through that seeing The lord magnified in their contentment their faith their trust their joy It's a beautiful example of how the lord is magnified through your life when you trust in the lord That kind of contentment only comes with a spirit enlightened understanding of god's word who god is who you are God's sovereignty your responsibility And with that we're to magnify the lord jesus christ with our understanding We see that in john chapter 23 verse 27 and 28 John answered and said a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven You yourselves bear me witness that i said i am not the christ but i've been sent before him That kind of contentment joy Faith comes out of an understanding of god's word an understanding of god's sovereignty our role our position in it And that's what led john to live with contentment and joy Despite his circumstances john knew That whatever we have or whatever situation that we're in However, great. We may or may not be comes none from man's power or man's strength or man's intellect Doesn't come from man everything that we have comes from the lord every gift whether great Modest or even absent comes from the lord every circumstance Easy or moderate or rough all comes from the lord Regarding god's provision and his providence paul says in first christians chapter 4 verse 7 He says for who makes you differ from another and what do you have that you did not receive Now if you did indeed receive it then why do you boast as if you had not received it everything we have comes from god everything you have Not everything comes to Comes from god dressed up like a gift You know in john chapter 19 you see jesus at his crucifixion talking to pilot And pilot says do you not understand that i have the power to crucify you or to release you Pilot had been given that power jesus responds to him and says you don't have anything you've not been given from above It doesn't always come dressed up like a gift But it's from god and we're to be content in our circumstances and trust him So then if god is sovereign if he works all things together for our good Which is what exactly what the bible says If everything we have including every good and perfect gift comes from him if we understand that his plans for us are perfect Then we need to be content We need to put our faith and trust in him We need to apply ourselves to the means of grace that he has provided And we need to petition him to have that understanding in our circumstances By which we may magnify the lord jesus christ with our joy and with our contentment We need to put our faith in him You know think about this truth from another perspective Hopefully you didn't come here today to waste a couple of hours Right, but if the lord doesn't give you What you need if the lord doesn't give you understanding If the lord doesn't shed his grace on you, that's exactly what it will be It'll be a waste of a couple of hours Everything you have comes from the lord. So when you listen to god's word You're responsible to pursue it to ask the lord for understanding to engage in the sermon So the lord would be pleased to give you understanding to give you wisdom Come here with the expectation that you're going to pursue christ to pursue magnifying the lord jesus christ and petition the lord to give you understanding This shouldn't be a waste You should engage yourself in pursuing the lord if you miss Preaching the word of god teaching the word of god You're wasting opportunity that the lord is giving you every good and perfect gift comes from god God gives you the gift of the means of grace. Are you availing yourself of that when preaching and teaching is going on If you don't go you're wasting an opportunity given you by god himself when you don't plan To spend time evangelizing you're wasting An opportunity that god has given to you to be sanctified to be grown to be matured You're wasting opportunities given you by god If you don't attend sunday school, you don't attend or listen to the evening service, you're wasting opportunities given you by god However here john chapter three john didn't just resign to accept his circumstances He didn't just concede that this was how things were going to be He rejoiced in his circumstances and we see that that he magnifies the lord with his joy in verse 29 Magnifies the lord with his joy. He says in verse 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 john says this joy of mine is complete John's joy in verse 29 is founded in being used by god for god's purposes And we see a joy And we see the lord magnified in her joy when we're just used by god, right? That's the kind of joy that john had The very thing that caused envy and discontentment in john's disciples Caused complete joy in john and the illustration that he uses here to communicate this joy is a wedding A wedding the bridegroom is jesus christ The bride is always represented god's people and the friend of the bridegroom here the best man so to speak Is john the baptist Back then the best man would have done far more than the best man today the best man took care of the entire wedding Arranged the entire wedding arranged and presided over the feast Passed out all the invitations made sure that everyone was going to come And the last thing that the best man did was to guard the chambers of the bride until the bridegroom would come to her And when the bridegroom came Their joy was fulfilled And in their joy being fulfilled His joy was complete the joy of the friend of the bridegroom the joy of the best man And we're about to have a wedding around here. I'm already excited. I'm looking forward to it I just love to see that Are we have joy in that don't we hear how much more so with christ It's just the the joy of the friend of the bridegroom was in fulfilling his responsibility to the bride and groom You know fulfilling his responsibility in the wedding. He took great joy in serving in that way John has said that he Isn't worthy to even unloose the sandal of the lord jesus christ And yet it was a privilege Not being unworthy. He was unworthy to do it and yet considered it a privilege That a sinner such as himself So much a privilege that was greater than he deserved Here in his role. He acts as a friend of the bridegroom We're not worthy to unloose jesus's sandal and yet we've been privileged To serve the lord jesus christ in a way that we don't deserve to be In the same joy That john had in leading people pointing people to christ We enter into that same joy that same privilege, which we're not worthy don't deserve to be a part of We can have that same joy when we lead people to jesus christ. It's a great privilege in serving him It's that humble joy that magnifies the lord jesus christ There's a beautiful picture of this. We don't have time to go there But of the relationship between jonathan and david in first samuel chapter 18 Where jonathan a son of the king In line to take the throne right And david comes along and jonathan Set to inherit the kingdom Seize god work through david david kills the philistine goliath before his very eyes So jonathan could have become envious jonathan could have become discontent He could have been disheartened at being displaced in the way that he was about to be displaced but not jonathan jonathan It says in the bible loved david it says that In spite of this that jonathan His soul was knit to the saint the soul of david and he loved david as his own soul That jonathan content with the plans of god content with what god was doing through david and joyful in it Took his own princely robes off Took his belt his sword his bow and he gave them to david And then covenanted with david and served david even to his own hurt Tremendous humility tremendous joy tremendous understanding of god sovereignty And think about the wealth that jonathan would have had his king about all the Praise he would have gotten his king right all the achievements that would have come the satisfaction the fame all passing pleasures They don't last your passing pleasures don't last either There is no satisfaction ultimately in those things It's in those things that are eternal. That's where our joy resides Our joy resides in serving the lord Voice jam boy says that real joy comes in being able to say to jesus christ here i am lord use me Then finding in that the grace of god That he can actually use you a wicked sinner to bring others to christ If you pursue that joy that joy is going to be great That joy is great It's also here that jonathan is described as he who stands and hears the brythe groom's voice We have that joy today right standing and hearing the brythe groom's voice Lastly we're to magnify the lord jesus christ with humility verse 30 Jon says he must increase but i must decrease that's a summary of the christian life A humble resolution to keep yourself and your interests out of the way And day by day the lord jesus christ increasing In you there's a story Of seminary students from america that were traveling to london at the time of ch spurgeon Uh, and he was preaching there at the metropolitan tabernacle and these students were heading off for london And friends of them here in america told them when you get to london There are two people two preachers you need to go and listen to joseph parker and charles spurgeon They didn't know either one of them But they committed and when we got to london they would go hear joseph parker and ch spurgeon So when they were in london on the lord's day They went first in the morning to hear joseph parker And they said to themselves after the morning service They said without a doubt it must be said that joseph parker is the greatest preacher to have ever preached a sermon It was wonderful and they had all but decided they would go back and hear joseph parker again in the evening It was so good, but they remembered their commitment and said well this evening. We'll go in here charles spurgeon So they heard spurgeon that evening and said After listening to charles spurgeon preach Without a doubt it must be said That jesus christ is the greatest savior In ourselves the vilest sinners It's what everyone in christ wants to be able to say Keep themselves out of the way to magnify the lord jesus christ Talk about him post about him Refer to him in every email every conversation witness for him introduce others to him Reserve time in your schedule for him Keep competing self interests out of the way Make little of yourself so that the lord jesus christ might be magnified If you're here today, and you've never bowed your knee to him never bowed your heart to turn from your sin To put your faith and trust in jesus christ To bow your will to him Humble yourself now that the lord jesus christ might be magnified in you He is worthy to be magnified Stop exalting yourself stop magnifying yourself accept the truth about yourself from the scripture There is nothing good that dwells in you put your faith and trust in the lord jesus christ That he might be magnified through your life. It's the purpose for which you were created You're created to glorify god and to enjoy him forever The only joy the only commit contentment you'll ever have Is in the lord jesus christ turn to him now let's pray Father in heaven God we praise you and thank you for your word. Thank you for these truths and god. I pray they would find fertile soil in our hearts Whereby we in the power of your spirit and by the grace that you afford god serve you fervently and faithfully Rubbing away for the lord that allocation of time that you've given to us For his praise and worship in jesus name. Amen