25. John the Baptist tells more about Jesus
– John 3:22-36
John 3:30 “He must become greater; I must become less.”
John’s disciples gave John the Baptist great authority. They believed what he preached but they were still disturbed when Jesus was receiving more attention than John. They were upset that people were choosing to follow Jesus instead of John. However, John set the record straight. He explained to his disciples that John was simply working for Jesus. He is full of joy that people are going to Jesus. In the end, John’s main task was to prepare the people’s hearts to be willing to accept Jesus. Everything John did pointed back to Jesus. John didn’t want to take any credit away from God. He wanted everyone’s focus to go to Christ. When we go about our daily life, try to embody what John said. Try to divert attention from you and onto God. Make those around you see God as greater than yourself. Give all glory to the one who deserves it.
John 3:34-35 “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.”
God bestowed onto Jesus all sovereignty. Jesus is part of the trinity. He is completely human and completely God. Everything Jesus says are words directly from God. God gave Jesus his spirit without any limit. Jesus is no greater than God and God is no greater than Jesus. Both are equal. God loves Jesus so much that he gave Jesus everything. Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit have everything in their hands. They have sovereignty over everything. They have control over all things. They promise to orchestrate everything for our good.
John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
The Bible does not say that whoever believes in Jesus WILL HAVE eternal life. It says, “Whoever believes in Jesus HAS eternal life.” From the moment you accept Jesus into your heart, you have eternal life. It does not begin when you die. It is not conditional on how you live the rest of your life. It is instantaneous. However, if you reject Jesus, then God’s wrath will be upon you and you will not experience life. Every human being that has ever walked the Earth, other than Jesus, has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. None of us deserve to be united with God in heaven. We are not pure and holy enough to be in communion with him. We are automatically condemned to hell. The only way to avoid hell and be saved is by accepting Christ as your savior. You must accept salvation and chose to love God back. God gives you the freewill to love him back. To put off your choice of accepting Christ is the same as not following Christ. Indecision is a fatal decision.
