Welcome to the Cary Baptist Church radio broadcast entitled Thy Word Has Settled in Heaven. I'm Pastor Donohue. Today we're preaching out of John chapter 3. We'll be talking about John the Baptist's testimony of Jesus. That's part of the last half of John chapter 3. Cary Baptist Church is in Athens, Alabama. We've been in business for 101 years. We started back in 1923, and it's our privilege to be able to preach you the Word of God. Today we're preaching, as we said, through John chapter 3. We're going to pick up with what the Apostle John reveals about John the Baptist. We'll begin reading in verse 22 of John 3. We'll read to the end of the chapter. Here, John is going to reveal things about Jesus. It proves that John the Baptist was a New Testament, New Covenant prophet because he revealed Jesus and told men to believe in Jesus. Therefore, he is preaching the gospel. Therefore, he's a New Testament prophet. He is also called, and is rightly so called, the last of the Old Testament prophets. But he does preach Jesus Christ that qualifies him as a New Testament prophet. He did know the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls him the Son of the Father, greatly beloved. And he tells men to believe on Christ, and he that believeth on him hath everlasting life. That's the same as Paul and Peter and John elsewhere in the New Testament. We'll begin in verse 23. And John the Baptist also was baptizing in Aenon near to Siloam, because there was much water there, and they came and were baptized, for John was not yet cast into prison. Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. 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. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all. He that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifies, and no man receives his testimony. He that receives his testimony has set his seal, that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Brethren, we're going to finish there in verse 36 of John chapter 3. We read about the last half of the chapter. And this last half of the chapter is dedicated to John the Baptist. The Apostle John, who's writing this, begins the section by saying that John was not yet cast into prison. John's ministry would be cut short, as you know. He would be put to death by Herod, and this is occurring just before he's put to death. John was baptizing in the River Jordan because there was much water there. And many of the disciples of John had a quarrel with the Jews about purifying. That's verse 25. Some of the Jews were always disputing with the disciples of Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist. And we have that here. And thus they came to John to get an answer. And they said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him." They're referring to Jesus, the one who is also beyond Jordan. Jesus is also baptizing in the Jordan. Again, the Bible says he's there because there's much water there. So both John and Jesus are baptizing in the Jordan, and these men that are the disciples of John the Baptist are pointing out to John that more people are going to Jesus. Matter of fact, all men are coming to him. And so they're raising a question with John. John, it looks like your ministry is slowing down. It looks like your ministry is decreasing because everyone is going to the man that you bore witness to. He said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He said that about Jesus. All men are going to him. This is not the least bit disturbing to John the Baptist, as perhaps these men thought it was. John is glad. He's happy. And he's going to find a fitting emblem to tell them how happy he is. He's going to use the image of a bridegroom meeting the bride, and of course with the bridegroom are some of his friends. And John the Baptist calls himself a friend of the bridegroom. There is a bridegroom, and that's Jesus Christ. That means there's a bride. The bride is the church. The church is the bride of Christ, and John is using this emblem to say that he is rejoicing that the bridegroom is getting all the attention, as it should be. Before he says that, he's going to talk about how God gives men gifts. He says, Yes, John had a powerful ministry. Many, many thousands came to hear John. They were wrought upon by the Holy Spirit. They were brought to repentance. The token of that was their baptism. Many came, many were moved, no doubt went back with repentance in their hearts. And John is saying this ministry that God gave me was definitely a gift. It was given to me from heaven. So whether my ministry is increasing or decreasing as it is now, we all put it down to the grace of God and that being given to me. And so God has blessed me in the past, and he's choosing rightly to bless the Lord Jesus Christ. It's right and proper that men should go to him. So John the Baptist is not least bit disturbed by the news that everybody's going to Jesus. Again, as I said before, He that hath a bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice." John's saying, I'm rejoicing. I can hear the voice of the bridegroom. That would be the ministry of Jesus having such a profound effect, all men going to him. And John is rejoicing, he says, greatly rejoicing. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. It's as if these men came to bring disturbing news to John and it's just the opposite. His joy is fulfilled in hearing that all men are going to Jesus. It was his duty and task and privilege to point men to Jesus so that they would turn to Jesus. And he tells us a great truth that we must consider in verse 30. He must increase, but I must decrease. It was time for John the Baptist's ministry to start closing down that Jesus may be all in all. John was indeed sent to rouse men to repentance and point out Christ. to pair the way of the Lord, that he did. And once the Lord has appeared in all of his glory, John's purpose now is to decrease. Jesus must have all the glory, and that's God's plan, and John is right with that plan. And he tells us some things about Jesus that reveal Jesus' deity. John the Baptist himself reveals the deity of Christ. He does so in verse 31 and 32. There John says, he that cometh from above is above all. He's ascribing Jesus coming from heaven, not only that, but he is above all. He's not only coming from heaven, but he is in his person, whether on heaven or earth, above all. That speaks of its deity. Next, John says, he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth, speaking of himself. He's contrasting Jesus with himself. I'm earthly of the earth. Jesus comes from above and is above all. And then he reiterates that great truth. He says, he that cometh from a heaven is above all. Now that's twice that he said Jesus is above all. Jesus is on the earth, but he's above all. That's a testimony to the deity of Christ. He's told these men that Jesus is the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the Christ. He tells them he's from heaven. He's above all. He is a New Covenant, New Testament preacher because he's revealing the nature and the work and the person of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist is said by some to be the last of the Old Testament prophets, and that may be true, but he's the first of the New Testament prophets, because he speaks New Testament truth. He speaks of Jesus, his person, and his work, and the way of salvation through believing in Jesus. And John says no man receives his testimony. He means that in a relative sense. So many of Israel are not receiving the testimony. They may gawk at Jesus' miracles, they may go out to hear him preach because they want to see something interesting, but the majority of the Jewish people did not receive him for who he was, and John is pointing that out. Then next he says, he that hath received his testimony, there are a few, some that received his testimony. He that received his testimony has set his seal that God is true. God speaks the truth, and when we agree with God, we're confirming the truth of God to our own hearts. He says he set his seal that God is true. Faith rests on the veracity, truthfulness of God in his word. and we trust God's promises because the author cannot lie. He's only truth. Truth without error, light without darkness. John goes on in describing Jesus Christ. Again, he's revealing Christ as a New Testament prophet, evangelist, preacher. For God giveth not the spirit by measure to him. That means that other men, other prophets had the spirit, but by measure Christ had the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, and the Spirit. one God in three persons, and here we have John the Baptist revealing in two verses the Trinity. He speaks of the Father, verse 35. He speaks of the Son, in verse 35. He speaks of the Spirit, in verse 34. There we have it, Father, Son, and Spirit. spoken by John the Baptist. Again, he's a New Testament prophet. He speaks of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, and he speaks of the nature and the work of God. Next, let's notice verse 36. This is the last verse in this chapter. This is the last thing that we have here in John 3 that John the Baptist spoke. He's going to tell us the way of salvation, just as Paul and Peter and John and Apollos and Titus and Timothy No difference. He says in verse 36, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. This is so much like what Jesus said, he that seeth the Son and believeth in him is not condemned, but is passed from death to life. So much like the Apostle Paul, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved, Acts 16, so much like the apostle Peter in Acts chapter 10, all the prophets give witness that whosoever believeth in him receives remission of sins. Just on and on we can go. All these New Testament prophets saying that he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And the negative is also true. As John says, he that believeth not the Son shall not see life. Jesus said in Mark 16, he that believeth not shall be damned. And so we have the exact same thing spoken by John the Baptist and Jesus and Paul and Peter. And it's a sure and certain thing that those souls that have been wrought upon by God and have been brought to faith in Jesus have eternal life, shall not be condemned, but are passed from death to life. And it's just as sure Those that have not arrived at faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will not see life. So the deciding factor in heaven and hell is what we do with the Son. So says John the Baptist. So says Jesus Christ. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath not life. That's the Apostle John. We have it here in the scriptures. John the Baptist is definitely, we can see in these scriptures, a New Testament prophet teaching the way of salvation by belief in Christ, teaching the nature of God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, one God in three persons, teaching the nature of Jesus. He's the Son of God. He's the Lamb of God. He is from above and he is above all. That's a statement of his deity. John the Baptist testifies of Christ. He is deity. He's God's son. He's the savior of the world. His blood takes away the sin of the world. Brother, we have here John the Baptist. Just in half a chapter, we've gathered all these things. John was not the least bit disturbed that his ministry was decreasing. He attributed that to the divine providence of God. And it was joyful to him to see that all men were going to Jesus Christ. It almost means mission accomplished in John the Baptist's life. Yes, mission accomplished. God would shortly allow his life to be taken. King Herod is going to be displeased with John's preaching against his particular sins, and he's going to have him beheaded. Herod is later going to regret this. It's going to haunt him because he knows John the Baptist was a good and godly man. In a fit of rage, he has him put to death, but he regrets it the rest of his life. He's never at peace with himself because he's put to death someone who knows to be a godly and righteous man. But God allows that to happen. God allows John to die. give his life as a martyr for the faith, and go unto heaven, but not before he bears witness of Jesus Christ. Brother John the Baptist is a New Testament prophet. Just read John chapter 3, the last half. Just consider what he said about Jesus, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He that believeth in the Son hath life, and Jesus is the Son of the Father. He has the Spirit without measure. He is above all. Brethren, this is the testimony of John the Baptist given by the Apostle John. It just confirms what the other apostles were preaching. They're in lockstep agreement on who the person of Jesus is, what his mission is, and how to be saved. Brethren, we're about out of time. We better go ahead and close it up here. You've been listening to the Cary Baptist Church radio broadcast entitled, Thy Word is Settled in Heaven. Cary Baptist is in Athens, Alabama. I'm Pastor Ben Donohue. Let me thank you for listening. We do hope you join us again next time. And until then, we'll say goodbye.