The Ambition We Breathe

Transcript

Seems like we have a few visitors here this morning. I’m so glad you’re here. My name is Thomas I have the privilege of serving as one of the pastors Welcome to Trinity Church This morning. We’re going to continue in our sermon series on the gospel of John And so if you would please turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 3 We’ll be looking at verses 22 through 36 If you don’t have a Bible, there’s some Bibles in front of you Beneath the seat in that little seat basket. Feel free to use that Bible I’ll read our texts and then we’ll pray and then we’ll get started

After this Jesus and his disciples Went into the Judean countryside and he remained there with them and was baptizing John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because the water was plentiful there and People were coming and being baptized For John had not been put in prison

— John 3

(ESV)

Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification and they came to John and Said to him Rabbi he who was with you across the Jordan to whom you bore witness. Look He is baptizing and all are going to him John answered a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven You yourselves bear me witness that I said I am NOT the Christ But I have been sent before him The one who has the bride is the bridegroom the friend of the bridegroom Who stands and hears him?

rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice Therefore this joy of mine is now complete He must increase but I must decrease He who comes from above is above all He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way He who comes from heaven is above all He bears witness to what he has seen and heard Yet, no one receives his testimony Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this that God is true For he whom God has sent utters the words of God and he gives the Spirit without measure The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him

— John 3

(ESV)

Family, this is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let’s pray

The Problem of Ambition

Father we do pray this morning that you would be our vision That you would properly orient our eyes to see all that your word has to say to us We pray O Lord our God that you would lend us the aid of the Holy Spirit because on our own we could not do anything We could not understand your word We could not apply your word. We wouldn’t even know your word to be true unless we had the Spirit’s help So we pray O Lord in God That you would give us the aid of the Spirit to help us see Jesus and to maximize To maximize the glory of God in our hearts. We pray these things in Christ’s name. Amen Well recently at a conference I Heard a pastor from Portland say that the biggest problem in the Pacific Northwest is apathy he described the overall culture here as one marked by a lack of drive or ambition

Ambition when it comes to career or achievement and I sort of understand what he meant by that Because yes, there are a lot of people in the Pacific Northwest who fit that description people just kind of coasting through life Not overly concerned with climbing the corporate ladder or chasing the American dream but I’m convinced that apathy is Not the biggest problem in the Pacific Northwest, in fact, I think it’s the opposite from my perspective One of our deepest struggles and this is not just in the Northwest, but in our culture at large is ambition not a healthy balanced or responsible ambition but a self-focused platform building image crafting kind of ambition The kind that screams be seen be known be the baddest be praised it’s the kind of ambition that fuels constant comparison and competition and Comparison and competition never travel alone. They always bring along with them their passengers

envy pride and Discontentment and social media seems to only amplify this problem Instagram tick-tock Twitter, whatever the platform you choose to use they all preach the same gospel Curate your life Capture the perfect moment Make sure everyone knows you’re crushing it And then you’ll feel validated because you’ll look like a boss in the eyes of all those who are peering in on your social media So in pursuit of this image, what we do is we package everything careers parenting vacations homes Early retirement, which is quite popular in Portland Even our spirituality it all becomes content used to impress and What that does? Slowly and subtly is it traps us. It pressures us Not just to grow but to dominate Not just to be faithful but to slay To become the best most impressive version of yourself so that others will take notice But here’s the irony in all that work:

It’s not really about you It’s about being seen by others and That kind of prison never leads to joy It leads to death by comparison and Constant self-critique it creates in us a mindset that sees everyone around us as competition Obstacles blocking our way to achieving our goals and once you’ve given yourself to this kind of system You can’t help but measure yourself against other people’s highlight reels or Instagram reels their calling their platform their success and Really the more we scroll the more we feel it at a soul level Envy grows Insecurity festers and pride which often disguises itself as purpose Ambition family if left unchecked becomes a poison that promises fulfillment But when we drink it delivers nothing but emptiness jealousy and a competitive spirit And here’s what’s wild This isn’t just a secular problem Something that exists out there in the culture among non-christians

It’s alive and it’s even thriving in the church. I see it all the time and if you’re on social media, it’s Highly likely you’ve seen it too, and I don’t even know what you call it, but you know it when you see it. It’s this kind of Christian influencer culture Where faith is used as a vehicle to build a personal brand, you know, like the Christian youtuber Who in every video asks you to subscribe and like or the Christian mom fluencer? Showing all the ways that she’s crushing it as a Christian parent and how you’re doing everything wrong it’s all over the place and It’s not just with individuals This ambition has become institutionalized Ministries are building brands Many are more effective than businesses with polished logos brand Bibles—those exist—catchy slogans and Mission statements that sound more like marketing campaigns than gospel ministry

Churches that showcase their success through their follower count or their live stream views And it really does make sense to me because in many ways Church leaders are modeling this I Mean you’ve seen it Pastors that you know syndicate sermon clips not to serve their congregation but to go viral Preaching a Jesus that conveniently fits into the tribe that they’re trying to build. So maybe it’s the politically conservative Jesus Or maybe it’s the social justice Jesus or the all-affirming never convicting Jesus All of it wrapped in the language of kingdom impact in ministry But underneath it all it’s just ambition It’s just ambition Christians and churches building personal and corporate brands to make a name for themselves To be the biggest to be the baddest. Well, maybe not in church the baddest but at least to be the best and Listen, I know this world very well

Because for many years I used to swim in this world Platform influence marketing Reputation it was deep within me and I think that’s why I see it so clearly in our Christian culture And what’s crazy is that? This used to be fringe At least when it came to the church But now it’s normative It’s even expected and in some cases. It’s respected Ambition even within the church is the air we breathe Now you might be thinking to yourself the problem is not really ambition but instead maybe the problem is social media But family this isn’t a new problem that emerged at the rise of social media This problem is ancient It goes all the way back to the garden You remember what the serpent said in the garden in Genesis 3? You Will not surely die For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God

Parallel Ministries

That’s not just temptation That’s ambition Since the beginning we’ve been reaching for a throne that does not belong to us we’ve been competing with God and ministry ambition Well, that was just as relevant in Jesus’s day as it is in our own day In fact, that’s exactly what we see in our text this morning in John chapter 3 verses 22 through 26 or 36, we see ministry ambition and competition We see the pride of platform building and glory thieving But in God’s kindness, we also see something better we see the remedy for comparison and the joy that comes from true humility and Properly placing glory and so to help us make the most of our text this morning I’ve broken our text into four sections The parallel ministries the proud objection the proper perspective and the preeminent Christ And so let’s begin first with the parallel ministries

We see this in verses 22 through 24 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside and he remained there with them and was baptizing John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was plentiful there and People were coming and being baptized for John had not yet been put in prison So this narrative begins by giving us this brief description of two Powerful ministries Operating in this very close proximity to one another verse 22 tells us that Jesus and his disciples were in the countryside baptizing and then in verse 23 It tells us that John was also near the countryside baptizing So right out of the gate two powerful ministries being facilitated by two very different ministers One is Jesus the Messiah and the other is John the forerunner of the Messiah Now you might be thinking to yourself man, John had to compete with Jesus. I

Mean, how you gonna compete with Jesus? I mean, he’s perfect Literally But here is what is fundamentally true Just because John’s ministry ran concurrently with Jesus’s ministry Just because it was in the same region as Jesus and just because it wasn’t marked by the same perfection as Jesus’s ministry that doesn’t mean John’s ministry wasn’t equally fruitful or important and Really the point is and we’ll see this clearly as we move to the text. John was never even really competing with Jesus It was never about competition In fact, both ministries were flourishing Both were necessary both were seeking to lead people to repentance both were experiencing deep kingdom impact John’s ministry might not have been perfect like Jesus’s but it had a profound effect on those who were with him and around him and just a side note something that I think is very important to point out is

That the ministry of John the Baptist was marked by a lifetime of faithfulness at this point in the narrative John is nearing the end of his public ministry in Fact though John didn’t know it. He was about to be imprisoned and he would eventually die Shortly after that. That’s why the text tells us that John had not yet been put in prison So he had spent his life Completely devoted to and given to the ministry and Now his ministry is nearing the end. In fact, it’s about to come to an abrupt end something we’ll look at in coming weeks and the legacy that John will leave behind is faithfulness Nothing about him changed as his ministry grew in influence He never scrambled to stay relevant throughout the life of his ministry He never compromised the message to retain influence. He finished well Listen John did not have a moral failure that disqualified him from ministry

He was faithful all the way till the end and this is to be commendable, especially in our culture Where it seems like every few months or so We hear on social media about some minister who has disqualified himself from ministry. I Mean this happens so often that we even feel like we can’t commend pastors to people Because we fear that maybe they’ll fall into some kind of moral failure

Family in a world where it seems like pastors and church members are struggling to finish Well, John is a great example of someone to follow And I think it’s because he consistently held the same view of himself I am NOT the Christ and He held the same view of Jesus behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world JC Ryle said this about John the Baptist that faithful man of God Was the same at the end of his ministry that he was at the beginning The same in his view of self the same in his view of Christ happy is the church whose ministers are as steady bold and constant to the one thing as John the Baptist and family, this should be a prompt and Encouragement for you to be praying for the pastors of Trinity Church Praying that God would keep us steady in our life and in our ministry

Praying that we would be faithful to finish well Because the truth is Obviously, no one pastor is above falling off or failing in ministry But in a world of shifting identities and platform a platform chasing John was rooted and deeply secure He was never aiming to build a personal brand for himself because he was preoccupied with preparing the way for the Lord and That’s why what happens next in our passage is so important because while John remains steady, it seems that his disciples The very ones John was investing in. Well, they were super shaky They begin to feel this tension of ministry proximity and they start to believe this lie that many churches believe today That having two powerful and fruitful ministries in the same region or in the same city is against the laws of physics That they can’t occupy the same space at the same time

The Proud Objection

And we see that fleshed out in our next section the proud objection, let’s look at verses 25 and 26 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification They came to John and said to him rabbi He who was with you across the Jordan to whom you bore witness look He is baptizing and all are going to him Now at first glance this might seem like an insignificant detail in the narrative, but this is huge There’s actually a lot packed into this short exchange that really does set some context with the narrative It starts with what’s described as a discussion But to be clear, this wasn’t a polite back-and-forth conversation This was a dispute It was a theological argument and it breaks out between John’s disciples and a Jew Possibly a Pharisee. We don’t know But what we do know for sure is the argument was in every way about purification

So most likely this was a debate about Jewish ceremonial washings now to understand the weight of this debate It helps to remember that in the Old Testament in places like Leviticus 15 and Numbers 19 In the Old Covenant God established these outward rituals to address inward impurity of people so things like washing or Sprinkling or cleansing with water all these things were done Symbolically pointing to the deeper need for spiritual purification And so that’s what they’re arguing over at least on the surface But under the surface there was something deeper going on This wasn’t just a conversation about water It wasn’t just a disagreement about rituals. This was about legitimacy and authority Because now both John and Jesus are baptizing people in water And it’s likely that this Jew this outsider is comparing the two ministries maybe even questioning John’s validity now that Jesus is on the scene and

That begins to stir up something in John’s disciples. And so what do they do? They get defensive So much so that they even stop thinking theologically instead they start thinking competitively and That’s what leads to their objection in verse 26 rabbi. He who was with you across the Jordan to whom you bore witness Look, he is baptizing and all are going to him and you could just kind of feel the tension in their words They’re not just giving John an update about the ministry of Jesus They’re complaining about him They’re unsettled they’re watching John’s crowd begin to shrink while Jesus’s crowd begins to grow and it’s really beginning to bother them Their tone is kind of almost resentful John You’re the one that introduced this cat Now everybody’s going to him instead of you Doesn’t that frustrate you I mean, where is their loyalty and did you catch it they don’t even use Jesus’s name They say he who was with you across the Jordan That’s not by accident that’s an intentional move to minimize Jesus and to assert some kind of seniority to say we were here first and In this moment what we’re witnessing is something far deeper than just, you know misinformed reaction This is ministry competition in full force this is ambition among people doing the work of ministry and Listen, this is one of the most dangerous diseases that can infect a Christian or a church It shows up when we begin to care more about our brand than Christ’s body When we celebrate our own growth, but then grow suspicious of someone else’s when we only affirm Gospel work that happens inside our tribe or our network or our theological camp or within these walls It’s kind of ambition is very ugly

It’s also very sneaky Because it disguises itself in very spiritual language We tell ourselves things like well, we’re just being discerning or You know, we’re just trying to be protective of sound doctrine But really what’s at play is fear of being outshined fear of being overlooked Fear of being outdone and I’ve seen this up close and personal Churches in the same city that compete instead of cooperating Pastors who feel threatened when another ministry begins to flourish Christians who quietly celebrate when someone else’s influence begins to fade because deep down it makes room for their own or God forbid God forbid churches that celebrate a moral failure of another pastor Hoping that those wounded sheep would eventually wander into their own flock

It’s heartbreaking it’s gross But let me just tell you it happens all the time Now let me be clear There are churches Especially in Portland that we cannot align with Those who teach a false gospel Those who present a false Jesus Those are false churches So we don’t cooperate with those churches because you know, not because of competition but because of contradiction but for other churches Those who even might be a little bit different than ours on secondary or tertiary issues There should be absolutely no competition between us Listen comparison and competition is no respecter of persons. So we’re not immune It infects big churches and small ones like ours Reform churches and non-reform churches It shows up at conferences. It shows up in elder meetings in prayer groups and in member meetings Anywhere recognition becomes the unspoken currency of importance But here’s the problem with this kind of ambition when we measure ministry by comparison. We miss the whole point of ministry

Instead of partnering in the gospel we draw these kind of like gang lines In our city to kind of protect our turf Instead of rejoicing when people are turning to Jesus and growing in godliness We get bitter because they’re not turning to Jesus or growing in godliness through us

And family let me be clear by God’s grace, I don’t believe that this is the culture of Trinity Church. I Think we work really hard to celebrate what God is doing in Portland and even in Vancouver We celebrate and we pray for other churches to flourish in gospel ministry But that doesn’t mean that this can’t become part of our culture if we’re not careful Because think about this the disciples of John They were probably fine Faithful even godly Right up to the point where Jesus started affecting their influence And because of that they couldn’t celebrate Christ’s rising glory instead they were too busy mourning their fading relevance this is sinful human nature on full display even among Christians and Honestly, I’m so thankful. This is in the Bible Because it shows us exactly what it looks like even among sincere devoted servants of God And if we’re honest, it’s very easy for us to fall into this

When someone else’s ministry grows faster than yours When their name is mentioned in conversations and yours isn’t When their giftings get affirmed and yours go unnoticed Family, if we’re not careful, we can start confusing being known with being faithful We’ll start thinking that visibility equals value And that’s exactly what was happening in this dispute over purification It wasn’t just a theological disagreement. It was a threat to their sense of value and identity And was so sad is that because they were so fixated on You know external washings and their value that they totally missed the internal cleansing Jesus came to bring Hebrews 9 14 says how much more will the blood of Christ purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God Family that’s real purification Not just external washing with water, but internal renewal Not just behavior change But heart change And because of the pride in their hearts

John’s disciples missed it They weren’t asking the question that John had been saying all along. Is this the Christ? the one who brings true cleansing They were asking is our ministry still going to be relevant tomorrow if all of them go to Jesus You see this is what pride does It blinds us from seeing clearly It distorts our priorities and listen, this is the default setting of the human heart Self exaltation But the call of the gospel and the call of the Christian is to move from self exaltation to self examination Jonathan Edwards wrote pride is the most difficult sin to root out. It’s the most hidden secret and deceitful of all lusts and often creeps in insensibly in to the midst of religion sometimes under the disguise of humility Family, did you know that there is a kind of self exalting humility a kind of religious humble brag?

That seeks to draw attention away from God’s glory so that it shines back or bounces off so that they receive the glory That’s not just pride That is glory thieving It’s stealing glory that does not belong to us So this really should force us to ask this question Are there places in your life where pride might be hiding? Is it hidden in your ministry work? Is it hidden in your vocational work

Is it hidden in your desire to be seen praised and affirmed Even if you have a posture, that’s oh, you know God be the glory Because even among sincere Christians pride can easily creep in even among faithful Christians Jealousy can grow Which means we need to be vigilant and we need to be praying regularly for the antidote to this pride Which is true humility and not a self-deprecating false humility like oh, you know, I’m nothing But the kind of humility that sees ourselves rightly before God and before others The kind of humility that says this isn’t about me this is about Christ James 4 6 says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble and if God gives grace to the humble than family That’s where we want to live That’s the kind of air that we want to breathe We don’t want to live above others

The Proper Perspective

We don’t want to live ahead of others not in competition with others, but humbly under Christ Family if pride is the path that leads to death Then humility is the path that leads to joy and human flourishing and that’s exactly what we see next in how John responds We see this in the proper perspective in verses 27 through 30

John answered a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven You yourselves bear me witness that I said I am NOT the Christ But have been sent before him the one who has the bride is the bridegroom The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase But I must decrease

— John 3

(ESV)

And what we see here is a perfect example of spiritual clarity in the face of human insecurity

John’s disciples come to him with fear and comparison in their hearts But instead of John Reacting in kind he responds with perspective He’s not defensive. He’s not panicking. He doesn’t devise some clever plan to regain market share just perspective gospel saturated God-centered joy infused Perspective and listen, it begins with theology a declaration of God’s sovereignty John says a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given to him from heaven Family this verse is liberating John is essentially saying everything that I have ever had my calling my platform my ministry My voice it wasn’t earned. I Didn’t build up the chops for it. It was given to me It was gifted by God himself He was teaching his disciples that influence is not a possession that you need to protect It’s a stewardship that you need to surrender Ministry is not something that we win. It’s a gift to receive and it’s a gift that comes from above

This is what we call the doctrine of Providence James 117 says it like this every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the father of lights Everything we have family Whether large or small Public or hidden every gift is from him And then John reiterates what he’s already made clear. I am NOT the Christ in other words, I know who I’m not and that’s incredibly liberating Most of us will spend so much of our time in ministry trying to be everything to everyone But John’s freedom comes with knowing his limits. He’s not the Messiah He’s not the Savior He’s simply the forerunner. He knows his role That God has given him and he’s fully content in it And he makes it dumb simple for his disciples. He gives them this marriage metaphor The one who has the bride is the bridegroom

The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice This is beautiful John describes himself as the friend of the bridegroom what we would call the best man and What does the best man do at a wedding? Well, I can tell you what he doesn’t do He doesn’t seek to steal the attention of the bride That’s for sure. That’s a bad best man. That’s a worse man

He doesn’t make the day all about himself Or he at least he shouldn’t I’ve seen some speeches Okay, some of those are bogus A Good best man, he stands off to the side Smiling Celebrating Quietly doing all the work to make sure That the bridegroom rejoices and That provides a certain degree of satisfaction and joy Because he’s looking at the joy of His best friend and that fills him with joy That’s John’s heart here. He’s saying this is it about me? And if it was about me, it was always about him. I told you before my job was simply to prepare the way And now that the groom is here My job is to step to step aside and to just have joy And then we get this ever popular but spiritually punchy line He must increase But I must decrease Family there’s one verse that captures the Christian life. It’s this one

And let me be clear this isn’t just for pastors This isn’t just for church leaders This is for every single one of us This is the pathway to true and lasting joy This is the proper perspective Christ must increase in our lives in our churches in our desires and by necessity We must decrease and this principle family. I know it flies in the face of everything that the world tells us The world says build your brand John says bow your knee The world says get more recognition John says give Christ all the recognition The world says live for lights live for the applause John says lose yourself in Christ’s glory and there is where you find true joy

JC Ryle once said the true secret of happiness is to live for Christ’s glory not our own John Piper with perhaps his most quoted line reminds us God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him And here’s what’s interesting if you take that quote and you just kind of flip it around It’s just as true But it’s actually almost exactly what John the Baptist is showing us We are most satisfied in him when God is glorified in us John Isn’t bitter that his season of prominence is fading He’s not holding on trying to manufacture relevance by getting like expensive sneakers or something He don’t do that. He’s rejoicing Because Christ is being seen and known and followed that brothers and sisters is true freedom That’s what we see in John He’s deeply rooted in humility and from that soil grows joy and peace and

Gospel clarity and one thing that I think is so helpful to understand about John the Baptist in this text Is that John worked from identity not for identity? Do you understand that John worked from identity not for identity and that makes all the difference He knew who he was I am NOT the Christ But he knew his identity and because of that he had nothing to prove He had nothing to protect Nothing to manufacture. He wasn’t chasing affirmation He was standing firm in his assignment whether that assignment be very small or very big in the world’s eyes Because If you’re living for identity if your worth is always being chased but never secured you’ll live in a prison of performance

Always working Always comparing always needing someone to validate you Always work in the angle in your conversation so that you can somehow get people to tell you how good you are You will never find rest you will die a slow death of a thousand paper cuts of self-critique Because of your identity is grounded in Christ You know who he is, you know that you will find a lifetime of joy and freedom When you know who you are in Christ Jesus, you will be free to celebrate someone else’s success You will be free to rejoice and what God is doing in other people you will be free to be faithful, even if it’s faithfulness in obscurity if that’s where God providentially places you and Listen, I’m not just preaching this to you this morning. I am preaching this to my own heart this morning I

Still feel it. I Still feel it the vacillating between working from identity and working for identity. I need this reminder just as much as you do My identity is not in being a pastor It shouldn’t be My identity is being a child of God I Need to be reminded of that truth because it’s so easy for me to just kind of feel like ministry is all-consuming So thankful for my wife for reminding me of this all the time John didn’t need the spotlight Because he had the Savior he didn’t need to be seen because he had already been seen by Jesus and That’s the kind of gospel rooted Identity secure ministry. We should be pursuing as members in this church and listen verse 30 isn’t just a personal motto It’s a discipleship pathway He must increase but I must decrease this is Galatians 2 20 being fleshed out

It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me So this isn’t optional for followers of Jesus It’s essential It’s the difference between building the kingdom and building your own kingdom So, let me ask you this morning. Is this your perspective? Are you okay with Jesus increasing while you fade into the background?

Are you content with being the floodlight instead of a spotlight Can you truly say my joy is complete when Christ is exalted even if I am forgotten Now, of course all of us in this room will probably say yeah, that’s my perspective But do we actually live it John the Baptist shows us what it means to live for someone else’s glory and He shows us the kind of joy that only comes from this road of humility First Peter 5

says humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God and at the proper time He may exalt you don’t have to exalt yourself You don’t have to fight for attention God sees you God knows you’re okay, he’s pleased with you and he will reward you at the proper time So family we should all embrace John’s posture. I Mean what would happen if we as a church?

The Preeminent Christ

Made verse 30 the motto of our lives He must increase but we must decrease I Mean this would radically reshape the way we live the way we serve The way we give and the way we love other members at Trinity Church Well, finally we come to the last section the preeminent Christ verses 31 through 36 He who comes from above is above all he who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way He who comes from heaven is above all he bears witness to what he has seen and heard yet. No one receives his testimony Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal on this that God is true For he whom God has sent utters the words of God for he gives the Spirit without measure The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him These final verses They should lift our eyes to see Jesus in his full glory They remind us that everything we talked about humility joy Comparison calling none of that makes sense apart from who Jesus is Because at the heart of it all is him Well, let’s just walk through this very powerful section piece by piece to see and hear all the punch that’s in this first We’re told that Jesus comes from above and that he is above all That’s not just like beautiful language That’s a theological bomb This is the language of divine origin and divine authority Jesus is not like John He’s not just a prophet He’s not simply a gifted teacher He is the one who comes from heaven the eternal Son sent by the Father and because of that he is above all

Meaning nothing and no one competes with him Everyone else John the disciples the prophets even us we speak from the earth We belong to the earth but Jesus He speaks as one who comes from heaven Verse 32 says he bears witness to what he has seen and heard yet. No one receives his testimony That right there is a sobering reminder of human depravity the one who is full of truth speaks divine truth and still people reject him and Why do people reject him? Because Romans 3 tells us that none is righteous. No, not one No one seeks for God You see the problem isn’t the message The problem is our hearts Our hearts aren’t just bent towards pride they’re bent to reject the God who created us and the heavenly truth that he provides us and The only way we can move from being prideful rejecters of him who came from heaven is for God to give us new hearts

That are capable of receiving him and his word and his truth This is why it says in verse 33 whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this that God is true In other words to believe in Jesus is to say God tells the truth about everything It is to affirm what God says about sin and salvation and judgment and grace is right It’s to affirm It’s to agree to certain realities About who God is and what he says about himself It’s putting your seal of approval on his character and his promises And then we move to verse 34 He says for he whom God has sent utters the words of God for he gives the Spirit without measure

This sets Jesus apart from all other people No prophet in the Old Testament had that kind of fullness Every prophet spoke as they were carried along by the Spirit, but Jesus he speaks as the very one who gives the Spirit and How can Jesus give the Spirit? Well verse 35 tells us the father loves the son and has given all things into his hand This means the father has given Jesus all authority all Sovereignty all lordship the father has entrusted everything Salvation judgment and eternal life into his hands And that’s exactly why he alone is worthy of all the glory that man can muster up in his soul Not because of what he has done for us, but because of who he is in himself He’s not just a messenger He’s not just another minister He is the eternal son the heaven-sent Savior the one from whom the father has given all things

That means that no one and no other name is worth building No other mission worth serving and no other platform worth protecting than his Because Jesus is above it all and because he is above it all he deserves it all the glory all the attention and all the praise in any spotlight that we try to keep for ourselves is like that we’re stealing from the one who reigns over it all and Then we get to verse 36, which is this beautiful gospel in miniature Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him

This is a powerful verse here This verse is not ambiguous It’s not vague This verse in every way draws a line in the sand There are only two responses to Jesus Believe or rebel There’s nothing neutral about Jesus to reject him is not just indifference It’s a death sentence And so friend if you’re here this morning, and you’ve never trusted in Jesus I want you to know that the greatest danger in your life is not that you’ll fail to make a name for yourself It’s that you’ll succeed in doing so And miss the only name that can save you were not made to build your own kingdom You were made to know and worship the God who made you the king of kings And the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to save sinners Not just from sin in general, but from very specific sins that have gripped every single one of us

pride self-centeredness and self-exaltation Self-exaltation Jesus the son of God who is God humbled himself He came down from heaven. He clothed himself in weakness He laid aside every ounce of platform power and privilege to rescue people who are addicted to self-glory He came not to be served but to serve He came not to exalt himself, but to lay himself down And on the cross Jesus died to take away the penalty of our pride For every moment that we’ve made life about ourself For every time we’ve craved recognition pursued comparison or refused to decrease and sought to take his glory Jesus died for it all But he didn’t stay in the grave Jesus rose triumphant Victorious And now is preeminent over all and this morning he calls you not to perform for him Not to try to impress him not to try to clean yourself up with water to purify yourself, but to trust in him

To turn from your sin and to turn from your old life to lay down all of your work And to follow him with your whole life Verse 36 makes this plain whoever believes in the son Has eternal life There is no neutral ground with Jesus You’re either living for yourself or for your own glory You’re either surrendering your life to the one who gave his life for sinners like you and me Or you’re living a dead life in your sin And friend I want you to know that you can receive him this morning Stop chasing an identity that you were never meant to carry Stop living for the praise of people and follow the one who humbled himself to the point of death So that you can be forgiven restored and given a new identity And if you want to know more about what it means to follow jesus

Ask any christian in this room. They would love to talk to you about that Family I want to close this morning with one question and just some very brief pastoral encouragement What kind of church do you want trinity to be known for? Do you want to be known for being the most faithful

The most theologically sound The most accessible The most liturgical The most faithful The most evangelistic church in portland and in vancouver Listen those are good things Very good things But that’s not what we should be aiming For trinity church to be known for We should work not to be known But for making jesus known He must increase and we as a church must decrease family, we need to be intentional with our decreasing We need to make every effort to be a church that rejoices To see jesus lifted up Whether that happens through trinity church or through many of the other churches in this neighborhood We need to work hard to not measure success by attendance or applause But one that measures it whether People are walking away with a bigger vision of christ jesus And I know that this kind of humility isn’t easy Especially in our world and not in our own hearts

Because ambition even among the strongest of christians constantly whispers. What about you? What about your name Don’t you deserve Don’t you deserve more? But the gospel says something so much better to us You already have the greatest gift christ himself So trinity church, we have to work hard to fight and to kill comparison Let’s repent of church rivalry Let’s renounce platform building in the pacific northwest and let’s celebrate faithfulness in obscurity And in our own house among members leaders deacons and pastors, let’s serve like john Joyfully fading into the background if it means jesus begins to shine in the foreground

And in our city where churches are laboring to make jesus known even if we don’t see eye to eye on everything Let’s celebrate when god moves through someone else’s preaching or church Let’s bless when gospel work happens outside these church walls And let’s thank god for his glory when it fills the pacific northwest, even if it comes through other churches amen Because if jesus is being exalted We all win It doesn’t matter We are not in competition We are in cooperation under one name the name above all names And one day every knee will bow every tongue will confess and no one will remember our church name or our church logo Because we will be preoccupied with the preeminence of christ So let’s live now for that day in faithfulness But in the joy of obscurity He must increase but we trinity church must decrease. Amen

Let’s pray our father in our god We do thank you that you did not leave us alone in our pride and in our self-glory But you have given us new hearts That are able to see Where the glory belongs? But while the residue of sin still sits in our hearts, oh god, we pray that your spirit Would bring that pride to the surface expose it and by the blood of jesus deal with it Help us father to live a life that is humbly grateful and joy filled Because of all that you have done And all that you are doing not just in this church But in this city and in our country and in our world God we pray we beg that you would help us to posture ourselves In a way that fades into the background So that it’s clear and plain That you receive all the glory all the praise and all the renown

Help us to decrease so that you might increase we pray these things in christ’s name. Amen You