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Devotions from Gospel Chapel Ministries HOME SERMONS SERMON NOTES
JOY AND REJOICING
" John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him." (JOH 3:27-28)
JOH 3:22 says, "After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea;
and there he tarried with them, and baptized." Our Saviour had just finished speaking to Nicodemus, teaching him the need to look to Him. I want you to understand this teaching: look unto Jesus and you shall live. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." (JOH 3:14) As the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up, the command was that whosoever had been bitten and looked unto that serpent would live. In the way of obedience, the miracle was performed: they lived in the way of obedience, as they heard and were persuaded.
Do you know what the word faith really means? "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." (ROM 10:17) The word faith means persuaded, convinced. As we become convinced, we begin to obey, and as we obey, the miracle of regeneration is performed.
When the Jews came to John to work discord and discontent, John knew there was only one way to persuade them. By the hearing of the Word! There was only one way to persuade them to believe, and that was to direct their eyes away from all their externals of religion unto Christ.
See how John strove to accomplish this, by taking their eyes off of himself and fixing them on Christ. "John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. [See how John reasons, using the logic of looking away from him unto Christ.] Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him." (JOH 3:27-28) I must decrease, but He must increase. Look away from me, and look unto the True Light. "Ye yourselves bear me witness."
Now watch verse 29. See how he so blessedly sets forth the beauty that there is in Jesus: "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom." What they’re saying to him is that all people are coming to Jesus instead of to John, and he uses that very contention to argue that He that has the bride is the Bridegroom. I’m not the Bridegroom: He is the Bridegroom.
"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." (JOH 3:29) He’s pointing out to the Jews and the Pharisees that his joy is fulfilled in hearing the voice of the blessed Bridegroom. Hearing my voice is nothing; hearing His voice we have joy, and my joy is therefore fulfilled.
See how you and I decrease and Christ increases as we stand and hear His voice. How our joy is fulfilled if our ears are opened to truly hear the words of Christ, that we may hear them and do them! Look how our joy will increase. Our normal selves become dissolved in our adoration of Him. John the Baptist says, he "which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled." That’s how He increases and I decrease, because I become totally dissolved in the joy that there is in the Lord Jesus Christ. The man and flesh become absolutely nothing.
We become unconditionally surrendered, totally dissolved in the joy that there is in Christ, and that takes us back to the beginning of miracles. The water was turned into wine, the symbol of joy and rejoicing. As we hear his voice, our hearts are filled with the joy of His salvation; then we become free from all the powers of sin and Satan - all of this puffing up of the Pharisees and all their religion. We become delivered from that pride, which is in you and me by nature.
In a further effort to persuade them, John attempts to direct their eyes to that Heavenly Bridegroom, and to take their eyes off of his calling. Do you know how devastating it is when Satan can get you and me to worship a man because of his calling, because of his credentials, or because he is prominent?
I remember, a man told me that a certain pastor that was coming had been through the schools of theology and was a Doctor of Divinity. "Don’t you think that should make an ideal preacher?" MAT 11:25 says, "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." Do we have credentials because of man’s wisdom? The answer is no. Our credentials consist of only one thing: we are the friends of the Bridegroom and we stand and hear His voice. Our credentials have to be centered in seeing that Christ is lifted up, not the man. Amen
You may have the joy-bells
Ringing in your heart,
And a peace that from you
Never will depart;
Walk the straight and narrow way,
Live for Jesus every day-
He will keep the joy-bells
Ringing in your heart.
Love of Jesus in its fullness
You may know,
And this love to those
Around you sweetly show;
Words of kindness always say,
Deeds of mercy do each day-
Then He’ll keep the joy-bells
Ringing in your heart.
You will meet with trials
As you journey home-
Grace sufficient He will
Give to overcome;
Tho unseen by mortal eye,
He is with you ever nigh-
And He’ll keep the joy-bells
Ringing in your heart.
Let your life speak well
Of Jesus every day,
Own His right to
Every service you can pay;
Sinners you can help to win
If your life is pure and clean,
And you keep the joy-bells
Ringing in your heart.
~Author: J. Edw. Ruark
Our sermons and devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion and sermon notes on-line. We pray this devotion has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.