(John 3:25-30) "Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. {26} And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. {27} John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. {28} Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. {29} He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. {30} He must increase, but I must decrease."
We would ask you to take notice of two verses of Scripture from the portion of God's inspired Word which we just read.
(Philippians 3:1-4) "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. {2} Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. {3} For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. {4} Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:"
(John 3:30) "He must increase, but I must decrease."As we read in John 3:25-30, John the Baptist declared that in the world, the Lord Jesus Christ must increase and he (John) must decrease. John's ministry was temporary and relatively short in duration, and when it was finished he was to be removed from the scene. However , the Lord Jesus Christ, because He lives forever, has a permanent, an enduring and an ever increasing ministry.(Philippians 3:3) "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."
(1 Samuel 17:8-10) "And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. {9} If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. {10} And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together."David was fully confident that the LORD would prevail through him and that by God's power the giant would be slain.
(I Samuel 17:37) "... The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."Goliath told David what he intended to do unto him and how he would prevail against him. Goliath's confidence was totally in his flesh, in his own strength.
(1 Samuel 17:44-46) "And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. {45} Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. {46} This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."The outcome of this clash between one trusting in his own flesh and one trusting in the power of the Lord is summed up in I Samuel 17:50.
(1 Samuel 17:50) "So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him;"In this divinely recorded narrative Goliath is a type of the lost person, (who may or may not be a professing believer) whose confidence is in their own flesh.
(Luke 18:10-13) "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. {11} The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. {12} I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. {13} And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."This Pharisee is a type of the lost person, (one who professes to believe in God) but in reality one whose confidence is in their own flesh.
(Philippians 1:18) "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."From what this young man had said it was very evident that he was confident in his flesh to favorably commend himself unto God. He was trusting in something that he had done (his being immersed) more than he was trusting in the finished work of the blessed Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus. Christ, as yet, had never increased in his life to the point that his confidence was only in the precious blood of God's only begotten Son.
(Romans 10:3) "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."There are many varieties of these false professors but one thing which they all have in common is their denial of their own innate depravity and God's absolute holiness. It matters little what their variant of the ‘works for salvation’ scheme is because the end result is always the same. They exalt their own supposed ability and in so doing they belittle the sovereign grace of God.
(Hebrews 1:3) "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"Of the saint's faith through which salvation is realized we are told that it given to us and that the one who gave or authored it will finish it.
(Ephesians 2:8) "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"God, who dispenses salvation as it pleases Him does so in strict adherence to His Word. As the people of this world strive to be politically correct they do so many times in direct opposition to God's inspired Word. The ‘religious world’ has many ways to approach God. These people are on a broad way which leads to the flames of hell!(Hebrews 12:2) "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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
(Philippians 1:6) "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
(John 14:6) "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."In declaring He was ‘the way’ the Lord Jesus Christ excluded ALL other ways as being acceptable and branded them as false ways.
(Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."All of the multiplied millions, without a single exception, who have any confidence in the flesh as regards to obtaining or maintaining salvation have not experienced what John the Baptist and all truly saved people have experienced, that being the Lord Jesus Christ increasing in their lives while they themselves decrease.
(Ezekiel 36:26) "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."As there are numerous examples in God's inspired Word of religious false professors who have confidence in their flesh so there are also many examples of those who have experienced an unending increase of Christ in their lives as they themselves proportionally decrease.
(Acts 16:31) "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."As Paul said in Hebrews 11:32 ‘for the time would fail me to tell of’ the many examples of those who had no confidence in their flesh which are recorded for our learning and example in God's Word.
(Philippians 3:3) "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."a.) Those in whose lives Christ has increased and is increasing ‘worship God in spirit’. That is the divinely prescribed way and therefore the only way. Worship in the flesh is unacceptable and abomination unto God.
(John 4:24) "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."The Lord Jesus Christ, speaking of the Father's inspired Word said, ‘... thy word is truth.”, therefore to worship God in truth is to worship Him according to the manner prescribed and commanded in His inspired Word.
(Acts 17:25) "Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;"b.) Those in whose lives Christ has increased and is increasing ‘rejoice in Christ Jesus’ These redeemed saints rejoice in the perfection of our dear Lord. They rejoice in His eternal love for unworthy and unlovable creatures. They rejoice in His gracious condescension as He left the riches of glory and became poor that they might be made rich. They rejoice in His perfect obedience to and fulfillment of the law for them.
(1 Peter 5:7) "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."Seeing as we have trusted only and totally in the Lord for our salvation shall we not also trust in Him for all other matters as well.
(Romans 8:32) "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"“Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of,”, and “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. Therefore it behooves us to seek the Lord's direction and trust in His leading and provision for every circumstance in our lives.