Our scripture reading tonight comes from the Gospel of John, the third chapter. We'll read the first 12 verses and then skip down to verse 22, reading to the end of the chapter. John chapter 3, beginning at verse 1. Let us hear God's own word. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, But you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? Jesus answered him, Are you the teacher of Israel? And yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen. But you do not receive our testimony if I have told you earthly things and you do not believe. How can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? And then skipping down to verse 22. After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Anon near Salem, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized, for John had not yet been put in prison. Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification, and they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, look, He is baptizing, and all are going to him. John answered, A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. So far the reading of God's Word. This past Christmas season, we had several references to John the Baptist and his ministry preparing for the coming of Jesus. John would regularly make reference to Isaiah 40 as a prophecy of his coming, that he would be a voice crying in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord, to prepare for the coming of the Lord. And John also bore very clear witness that he was not the Christ, that he was not the one for whom they had been waiting, but only the one to prepare. Nevertheless, Jesus bore testimony that the ministry of John was great indeed. Do you remember those words of Matthew 11, verse 11, where Jesus said, Truly I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. That's quite a thing to say about John, isn't it? No one greater than John the Baptist. Abraham wasn't greater, even though he received the promise. Moses wasn't greater, even though he received the law. David wasn't greater, even though he wrote Psalms and was king over Israel. Isaiah wasn't greater for all of the beauty of his long prophecy. John was as great as any of them. And maybe that surprises us a little bit because John doesn't write a whole book. John's words are relatively brief in the New Testament. What is so great about John? Well, John came as a fulfillment of the whole Old Testament economy to prepare Israel and to call them to repentance. But perhaps even more importantly, John was the prophet who was able to say, not only is Messiah coming, but Messiah is here. John was the prophet who was not only able to say, the Messiah will appear in certain forms, he was able to say, there is the Messiah. There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That was the great privilege of John. And so here at the end of John chapter 3, there are two Johns in this sermon. It can get a little confusing. There's John the Evangelist, John the Gospel writer, and John the Baptist. So I'll try to make clear who I'm talking about as I go along. But it'll be good for you. You'll have to pay attention and think carefully about what John I'm talking about. Here at the end of the Gospel of John chapter 3, we have John the Baptist's last great testimony to Jesus. And the way he introduces that testimony is to say, Jesus is greater. Jesus is greater than I am. It's a good thing that I will decrease and he will increase. It's a good thing that people are leaving following me to follow him. I didn't come that I might be exalted, said John the Baptist. I came that he might be exalted. He is greater. And then in these verses 31 through 36, we have an explanation of the ways in which Jesus is greater. And it's really a wonderful summary, a wonderful explication of the greatness of Jesus. It's a slightly different way of thinking about Jesus, I think, than often we think about him. It's a slightly different way of speaking about Jesus than the way we often speak about him. And yet it is so valuable as a way of seeing the greatness of Jesus and who he really is. And John the Baptist was a preacher, so that means he makes three points here about Jesus. And the first point he makes is Jesus comes from God. Jesus comes from God. Now, that may not seem earth-shaking to you, and it may not even be that distinctive. In a sense, all prophets come from God. But John's point here is, Jesus comes from God in a unique way. Jesus comes from God in a way that is true of no one else. Now, John had a wonderful origin, didn't he, John the Baptist? He was born miraculously. He was born to a woman that was thought to be barren. He was born as a result of an angelic prophecy. His birth was significant, but it remained earthly. And John here is saying, Jesus comes from God in a heavenly way, in an amazing way, in a unique way. that is really revelatory of who he is for us and what he does for us. Now often at Christmas season we spend time looking at the earthly dimensions of the coming of Jesus. And Matthew and Luke are particularly full of descriptions of the earthly coming of Jesus. They acknowledge, of course, that there's a heavenly element to his coming. They both teach that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. But it's if John writes his gospel to say, more can be said about that heavenly element. And so, John begins his gospel by saying, remember, before a baby was born, There was the eternal Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That's the heavenly origin of Jesus that John the Baptist here is being cited to bear witness to. Jesus comes from above. He doesn't begin in time. He doesn't begin in history. He doesn't begin as a baby. He doesn't begin as a human. He's from above. He comes from God because he is God. And that's what John wants to stress. And John wants to stress that in part to remind us that he comes from above, to bring the life from above to people on earth. He comes to us that we might have the life from above. Now, there's something a little tricky in the Greek language in John chapter 3. I don't think the Greeks were intending to be tricky. It's just the way it worked out. The word of that very famous statement of John, you must be born again, the statement of Jesus, you must be born again, that word in Greek, again, can also mean from above. Now, it's obvious Nicodemus initially understood him to mean again, isn't it? Because he said, must I enter again into my mother's womb? So part of what Jesus is saying when he says to Nicodemus, you must be born again, is, you must be born again. But at the same time, he's saying to Nicodemus, you must be born from above. It's not just that you're born a second time, but it's that you will have a heavenly rebirth. That you will be given the life that comes from above. And so Jesus came from above, that we might have life from above. Remember that the gospel says that we must be born of the will of God. We must be born of the action of God. We must be born with that life that comes from above into our experience that we might live. And that's what Jesus came to do. He came from God uniquely. He came from above to bring life to his people. And this is a great message, isn't it, of the gospel. We're used to hearing the message, you must be born again. But we need to remember the even deeper truth, in a sense, you must be born from above. It must be the action of God. It must be the working of God that we will live, that we will have new life. And that's what Jesus came from God to do for us. And that is the blessing that is ours as the people of God. So Jesus came from God, and John says here in this text, Jesus speaks for God. Jesus speaks for God. And again, the point here is he speaks for God uniquely. Many in the Bible have spoken from God. Many in the Bible have been inspired with the truth of God. John the Baptist himself has spoken the truth as a prophet. John the Baptist has preached the truth, repent. But the point being made here in John chapter 3 is that there is something unique about the speaking of Jesus. There's something unique about the speaking of Jesus because he has heard and seen it all. That's what we're told here. He has heard and seen it all. This too is a reference, I think, to his pre-incarnate existence in heaven. In heaven he has seen it all, all of the glory of God, all of the truth of God. He's part of the Trinity and therefore knows all of the purpose of God. And so when he comes into the world, he doesn't come just as a prophet who is hearing from the Holy Spirit secondhand, if you will. He comes into the world to speak for God firsthand because he is God himself come in the flesh. Again, the gospel begins by saying in that prologue, he was full of grace and truth. Jesus has all the grace imaginable and all the truth possible. That's what it means for him to be full of grace and truth. And this is so critical for us to acknowledge. This is so critical for us to know. Because John the evangelist wants us to know that everything that can be known about God is known by Jesus, and what we need to know, he makes known to us. He was in the bosom of the Father, and he alone has seen God and makes him known. That's what John says in John 1. And this is critical because there are voices in this world that claim to know about God, claim the truth of God against Jesus. Particularly in Islam is the claim that although Jesus was a prophet, Muhammad is a fuller prophet, a more final prophet, a prophet who carries more truth. And it's almost as if John's Gospel is written to deny that claim It is not possible to have more truth than Jesus had, because Jesus, in eternity, was in the bosom of the Father. Jesus is full of grace and truth, and Jesus comes to make all that truth, all of that saving, gracious truth, known to us. This text says, he whom God has sent, namely Jesus, utters the words of God. This is such a profound truth for our understanding of Jesus, but it's also a profound truth for our understanding of the Bible as we have it. The Bible is not only the word of God, but it's the words of God. The words of the Bible are the words of God. This is the truth. This is the truth we need. This is the truth that has been given to us. And again, we live in a world where that confession of the Christian church, a confession 2,000 years old, has been under attack. And there are so many voices who say, oh yeah, the Bible's nice, the Bible's useful, But, you know, you have to pick and choose. You have to approach it with a critical spirit. And taking that attitude means that you take an attitude that was denied by Jesus, that's been denied by the church through all its faithful history, because the words we have are not human words, some of which are somewhat true and some are not true, but they're the words of God, we're told. And this is critical for us because we need to know that God is true and his words are true. And we can have confidence in that truthfulness. And we can aspire to know more of it because as we study the word, we're growing in the truth. That's our assurance in that interchange that Jesus has with Nicodemus. When Nicodemus didn't understand about being born again or being born from above, Jesus said, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? The Bible's given to us as truth so that we can understand. Understand the things that God has revealed. And then Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know. Jesus knew what he was saying. He knew it was true. He knew it was profitable. He knew it was crucial for the people of God to hear and to accept. And that truth, that knowledge element of Christianity is beautifully caught for us, isn't it, in the first part of the definition of faith in our Heidelberg Catechism, question 21. What is true faith? Well, the definition begins by saying true faith is a sure knowledge by which I hold as true all that God has revealed to us in his word. That's where true faith begins. That's the foundation of true faith, a confidence in the word of God, in the truthfulness of the word of God. And that's what Jesus is saying here. That's what John has recorded for us here, that truth is critical. And again, this is important for us to be reinforced in this because we live in a world where there are many Christians who think the essence of Christianity is either how you live, living's important, or how you feel, feelings are important. Now, we reform types try to eliminate feelings as much as possible, but we can't be entirely successful. So we acknowledge when we're pressed that feelings are significant. And certainly we believe that living is significant. But unless you know the truth, you won't know how to live. And unless you know the truth, you won't know how to evaluate your feelings. And so the foundational character of truth for Christianity and for Christian And life and experience is laid here in the words that John the Baptist bears in witness to Jesus. And it's interesting how it's expressed here, verse 33 of chapter 3 of John. Whoever receives his testimony, the testimony of Jesus, sets his seal to this that God is true. When you believe the words of Jesus, you are testifying yourself, you're attesting, you're certifying, you're sealing that God is true. You're accepting what God has revealed. You see, this is always the great issue, isn't it? It was the issue all through Jesus' life. Would people believe him or would they reject him? Would they accept that he was the Christ or would they deny that he's the Christ? Would they accept that John the Baptist was preparing the way or would they believe that John the Baptist was a troublemaker? We have to decide. We have to conclude what's true because truth is so crucial for all that we are and all that we do. So Jesus came from God uniquely. Jesus spoke for God uniquely. And Jesus lives with God uniquely. Now John the Baptist lived with God. We're told that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He lived close to God. But Jesus lives with God in a way that none of us ever have, ever could. perhaps never even could comprehend. Jesus lives with God uniquely because he is God eternally. And look how interestingly that's expressed for us here in this text. Verse 34 of John chapter 3, For God gives the Spirit without measure. To whom does he give the Spirit without measure? Jesus. Jesus is the one who has the Spirit without measure. There's no limit to his possession of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist may be filled up with the Holy Spirit as much as he could take, but there's no limit to what Jesus can take of the Holy Spirit. He has the full being of the person of the Holy Spirit within him. John the Baptist had been told that Christ is the one on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain. And John said, I saw that happen to Jesus. And here he's bearing witness to what that means. The Spirit is in Jesus, limitlessly. And the Spirit is given by Jesus to his people, sovereignly. So that the life from above comes into our lives by the action of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sends to be with us and for us and in us. What a picture it is of Jesus' life with God and the blessing that that life he enjoys with God coming into us by the Holy Spirit whom he has without measure. that Holy Spirit whom he sends to work irresistibly in our lives. We heard this morning about the human heart and the centrality and importance of the human heart. But until the Holy Spirit comes sovereignly into our hearts to change our hearts, we can receive nothing of God. But Jesus has promised that's what he'll do for his people. He'll send the Holy Spirit. And then this text also talks about the relationship of Jesus to his Father. Verse 35, the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. The Father loves the Son without measure. He's given him everything. Everything. What does that mean for us? Well, if the Father has given everything to Jesus, and we have Jesus, that means that the one who has everything loves us, and cares for us, and provides for us. Jesus is the one who makes God our Father. You remember at the resurrection, Jesus says to Mary that she's not to cling to him because he says, I must ascend to my father and your father. You know, in the Old Testament, Israel hardly ever called God father. That's something Jesus came to give his people, that sense of connection and of access and a privilege and a relation. God is Father. And that's what Jesus comes to give. Jesus, who lived uniquely with God, comes that we might be the children of God and live with God. One of the amazing things of John's Gospel, when you read through it, is how often it returns to the theme that Jesus has come, that we might have life, that we might have abundant life, that we might have eternal life. Jesus is the life bringer. Jesus is the life giver. Jesus is the life sustainer. And as we see our own lives, and as we see generations rise and go, as we must say goodbye to loved ones. The great message of John's gospel is, for those in Christ, it is not goodbye. It is not the end of life, but is a temporary separation because Christ has come that we might have life. And that's why he presses this question, do you believe that? The great thing Jesus came for was life. And he who believes in Jesus, though he die, yet shall he live. And if he lives and believes in Jesus, he'll never die. We've heard that so often that we almost can take it for granted. But it's an amazing statement. It's a statement that most of the world can't begin to believe. But John the Baptist here, in John chapter 3, says, I believe it. I believe it. He's the one who brings life. Jesus is the one who brings life. And therefore, John says, I'm like the best man at a wedding. I may not be the groom, but I'm filled with joy. I'm filled with joy. I'm glad to decrease, that he might increase. And so this text says to you and to me, so how is it with you? Are you believing the words of Jesus and have life in Him? Are you born again? Are you born from above? Are you filled with joy that Jesus has come? Are you seeing Him increase in your life as you decrease? This is the greater Jesus to whom John the Baptist bore witness. And how we should be filled with joy that we can know this Jesus as our Savior. May God grant that's true of every one of us here. Amen. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, how great is our Savior and how privileged we are to know him. And we pray, O Lord, that our trust might be in him, in the life that he brings from above, in the true promises that he utters, in the connection to you, our God, that he promises. So fill us with hope in believing, O Lord, for we pray in his name. Amen.