Sermon
for Advent 4, December 20, 2020
Grace to you and peace from Him who
is, who was, and who is coming. Amen.
John 3:22-36 22After this, Jesus and his
disciples went into the Judean countryside where he spent some time with them
and was baptizing. 23John
also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water
there. People kept coming and were being
baptized, 24for John had not been thrown into prison yet. 25Then an argument broke out
between John’s disciples and a certain Jew about purification. 26His disciples came to John and
said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, about whom you
testified—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him!” 27John
answered, “A man cannot receive a single thing, unless it has been given to him
from heaven. 28You
yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been
sent ahead of him.’ 29The one
who has the bride is the bridegroom. But
the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and listens for him, is overjoyed when
he hears the bridegroom’s voice. So this
joy of mine is now complete. 30He
must increase, but I must decrease. 31The
one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in a way that belongs
to the earth. The one who comes from
heaven is superior to everyone. 32He
testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his
testimony. 33The one who has
received his testimony has certified that God is true. 34In fact, the one whom God has
sent speaks God’s words, for God gives the Spirit without measure. 35The Father loves the Son and has
put everything in his hands. 36The
one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son
will not see life; instead, God’s wrath remains on him.” (EHV)
Christ, the Bridegroom, is superior to all.
Dear fellow redeemed,
Are you ready for the Savior’s coming? Are you ready for Christmas? I have to admit that I am great at
volunteering to do things, but not so good at carrying through. I have lots of good intentions, but I am mainly
a champion of procrastination. Now, think
about John the Baptist; John was sent to prepare the nation of Israel for the
Savior’s arrival. Imagine the burden of
meeting that goal. Consider the
challenge of moving a nation of people from indifference to actively looking
forward to meeting God’s Son face to face.
How did John not whither under the pressure?
To be
honest, I don’t know how much stress John the Baptist felt. By all accounts, he certainly was not afraid
of what people thought about him. On the
other hand, many today might like to emulate John, because he definitely was a
man with little impact on the environment.
He would have used precious little fossil fuel. His diet was about as politically correct as
one could imagine, locusts and wild honey.
Only the most diehard vegan would protest. Of course, none of this has anything to do
with the real John. John wasn’t an
environmental warrior. He wasn’t a
political activist. Rather, John was a
servant of God sent to prepare God’s people for Jesus’ arrival, and John was
great at his assignment. That being said,
Christ, the Bridegroom, is superior to all.
The scene
of our text takes place fairly early in Jesus’ ministry. John the Baptist was still active, though
apparently not for much longer. The
apostle, John, reports one thing that reminds us of the religious world today—a
dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew. Now, we are not told the details of the
dispute, but we can guess about the cause of the friction. John’s disciples rightly wanted to support
their teacher, and another person thought his side’s ideas were better. Likewise, today, personal feelings, jealousy,
and selfish attitudes often drive disagreements in the churches. “There is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes
1:9) wrote Solomon. As long as mankind
exists on earth, there will be the danger of putting ourselves above God and
His Word.
Thankfully,
John the Baptist wasn’t swayed by the arguments of men. Instead, John relied on his promised
Savior. John answered, “A man cannot
receive a single thing, unless it has been given to him from heaven.” John pointed his disciples to the truth that
comes down from heaven—God’s Word. Those
disciples wanted to defend the Baptizer, but John was content to serve in the
role he had been given. It’s a good
example for all of us. Rather than wish
we were something we are not, we should serve God to the best of our abilities
in the role and office He gives us.
Therefore,
John clarified for his disciples and the crowds that surrounded him, “You
yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been
sent ahead of him.’ The one who has the
bride is the bridegroom. But the friend
of the bridegroom, who stands and listens for him, is overjoyed when he hears
the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of
mine is now complete.” John compares
himself to the friend of the groom who has been given the privilege of announcing
the groom’s approach to claim his bride.
In the
ceremonies of the time, a groom would only come to claim his bride after he had
made all things ready for their married life.
He would establish his house and business to support a wife and family. A banquet celebration would be arranged with
guests invited and prepared. Only then
would the groom come for his beloved, but though the day might well be known in
advance, the hour was not always so clear, so this friend of the groom would be
called upon to go ahead of the groom to prepare the guests, and especially, to
announce the imminent arrival of the groom so that no invited guest would miss
out on the celebration of the wedding.
It was a great honor for the friend to be chosen as the groom’s
representative. This was John’s spiritual
role, and he was humbled by the privilege.
Yet, he fully understood that he was not the focus of the celebration.
The
Bridegroom of the heavenly wedding is God’s Son, Jesus. The bride is that assembly of believers
throughout all history who believe in the promised Savior—all members of the holy
Christian Church. This meeting was the
focus of all the scriptural record.
Everything in history led up to this moment when the heavenly Bridegroom
would come to claim His bride.
Therefore, John says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John’s role was coming to an end. Now, that the Bridegroom was present and
active, the need for a forerunner was over, and John rejoiced, because he knew
that our Savior was his Savior too.
John
said, “The one who comes from above is superior to everyone.” John the Baptist was far above most of us in
his diligence and faithfulness. The
angel, Gabriel had announced that John would “be great in the sight of the
Lord.” (Luke 1:15) Jesus also
declared,
“Among
those born of women there is no prophet greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of
God is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28) None of
this went to John’s head, because he knew that like you and me, John had inherited
sin from his parents. John knew he had not
earned his place in the kingdom of heaven, but he trusted in the Savior that
was promised even in the announcement of John’s birth. Therefore, John was rejoicing to hear His
Savior’s voice for that meant his salvation was at hand.
“The
one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in a way that belongs
to the earth. The one who comes from
heaven is superior to everyone. He
testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his
testimony. The one who has received his
testimony has certified that God is true.”
John knew and believed that Jesus was no ordinary man. Jesus is the Son of God and Mary, thus true
God and true Man in one flesh. God gives
the message of salvation through Jesus.
Throughout His life, Jesus testified to the plans His Father in heaven
had made to rescue sinners from their guilt.
Who received the testimony?
John? Jesus?
Certainly,
Jesus is the seal of God’s truth. Also
true, no person can accept God’s salvation message on his own accord. However, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
everyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior is living proof that God is
true. As St. Paul wrote, “Indeed, it
is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians
2:8-9)
John
believed, therefore he rejoiced, and he could honestly say, “In fact, the
one whom God has sent speaks God’s words, for God gives the Spirit without
measure.” This is perfectly true in
Jesus, but it was also true in John, for the Spirit had given him the words to
speak to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival.
When John called people to repentance, it was the Spirit working in the
Word that made the change in them. When
John baptized, it was the Spirit working through the water and Word to give
life through faith in the Christ.
It is at
this point that John clearly spoke God’s salvation plan: “The Father loves
the Son and has put everything in his hands.
The one who believes in the Son has eternal life,
but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, God’s wrath
remains on him.” Every part of our
salvation rested upon Jesus. Only Jesus
could perfectly honor and obey His heavenly Father. Only Jesus could die for the sins of the
world yet take up His life again. Only God’s
Son could defeat the devil’s wicked rebellion.
At the same time, because Jesus is true God, there was never any doubt
as to the success of His mission. No
matter what schemes the devil might try, Jesus would come out victorious. And, it is only through faith in Jesus that
anyone can be saved. Yet, what an
amazing, wonderful promise is ours—"The one who believes in the Son has
eternal life.”
John
believed and though Herod cut off his head, John lives in heaven with his
Savior. That promise holds for all of us,
as well. Our world may be in turmoil
right now, but we have full possession of eternal life. Jesus won it for us with His perfect,
innocent life, and sacrificial death.
The Holy Spirit sent by Jesus and His Father through the Gospel in Word
and Sacrament has granted this life-giving faith to us, and no one can take
away what God has given us.
Naturally,
John gave his listeners a warning. He
was, after all, sent to call people to repentance. John warned, “The one who rejects the Son
will not see life; instead, God’s wrath remains on him.” Millions upon millions of people have passed
through earthly life without humbling themselves before God. Millions walk this earth in our time
frantically trying to get by on their own.
For all those who do not believe, the end is God’s eternal wrath. Though their sins have been paid for, for
those who reject Christ, the judgment will be as if they were not.
Some
might think that as long as they don’t actively reject Jesus they will still be
saved, but the word John used here is the word from which we get our English
word, apathy. We like to think that
apathy is somewhat neutral, but there is no neutral when it comes to
faith. Jesus said, “Whoever is not
with me is against me. And whoever does
not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30)
Dear
friends, believe in the heavenly Bridegroom.
He came to take you to His heavenly home. With His holy life and innocent death, Christ
Jesus paid the bride price for your freedom.
His sacrifice and service are complete.
His love for you is everlasting. His
house is prepared for you. All things
are finished for your eternal salvation, because Christ, the Bridegroom, is
superior to all. Amen.
The peace
of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
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