I Must Decrease
A Sermon on John 3:30
Originally preached June 5, 1966
Scripture
30He must increase, but I must decrease.
Sermon Description
What does it mean for one to decrease and Christ to increase? In this sermon titled “I Must Decrease,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from John 3:30 to encourage his listeners to pursue decreasing self-focus. He gives a few determiners of whether a person is pursuing this “decreasing”. First, he asks if the person must sense their need before the Lord will give them what they need. Second, a Christian's habits will continue to be less self-consumed the more they pursue Christ. Third, a Christian pursues loving God and others before loving self. Dr. Lloyd-Jones compares the gifts to a fluttering stream and love to a strong, deep river coursing through the plain. One is more exciting indeed, but the other more powerful. He also encourages meditation and Bible reading each morning. Christians ought not only to read the Scriptures, but to meditate on what they mean. This entails seeking to know God’s character and holiness. He also prescribes increasing Christ and decreasing self by reading the biographies of saints of old. Not only will the reader be astounded by how much the saints accomplished, they will also be edified by the awareness of their sin and their dependence on Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text comes from John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease."
- This statement was made by John the Baptist about Jesus. John is correcting his followers who were jealous of Jesus' success.
- The statement reflects a key principle for spiritual growth - self must decrease for Christ to increase in our lives.
- The sermon has explored this principle over the past few weeks. The sermon asks - what does it mean to be a Christian? It means receiving grace upon grace from Jesus, having Christ in us.
- However, self is the greatest enemy to this. The Bible warns against self and calls us to decrease self.
- One sign self is decreasing is having a truer view of ourselves, being less self-centered, and less self-reliant.
- Another sign is living less based on feelings and more based on faith in Christ. We should value the fruit of the Spirit over spiritual gifts.
- We must make efforts to decrease self. Reading Scripture, while praying for understanding, helps decrease self by showing us God's holiness, our sin, and examples of other's failures.
- Reading about the lives of saints also helps decrease self by showing us our own smallness in comparison to what God has done through others.
- Meditating on the fleeting nature of life and eternity also helps decrease self by giving us a right perspective on our importance.
- Self-examination helps decrease self by showing us the depth of our sin and need for Christ.
- Remembering our old self was crucified with Christ helps decrease self by showing we have nothing to boast in ourselves.
- Having the mind of Christ - not looking to our own interests but others' - helps decrease self. Christ made himself nothing, so we should do the same.
- The sermon closes with a prayer that God would help us implement these principles to decrease self so Christ may increase in us.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on "He Must Increase, But I Must Decrease"
What is the primary scripture Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on in this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." This was a statement made by John the Baptist when his followers were feeling jealous on his behalf because of Jesus's preaching and success. It represents a core principle for Christian spiritual growth.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones consider self to be the greatest enemy to receiving Christ's fullness?
According to Lloyd-Jones, self is the greatest enemy from beginning to end of the Christian life. He states, "There is nothing that so frequently robs us as Christian people of this fullness, as our self." Self prevents us from receiving Christ's fullness by making us proud, self-sufficient, and focused on our own abilities rather than on Christ's provision. The decreasing of self is essential for Christ to increase in our lives.
What did Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the essence of Christianity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the essence of Christianity is found in John 1:16: "And of His fullness have all we received, and grace upon grace." Christianity is not merely living a good life or believing in Jesus, but being united to Him so that we receive His fullness continuously. It is "life in the Spirit, life in the Lord, Christ in us, the hope of glory, and we in Christ."
What are the signs that self is decreasing in a Christian's life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several signs that self is decreasing: 1. Having a truer understanding of ourselves 2. Being less interested in self and less self-centered 3. Talking less about ourselves and our problems 4. Having less self-reliance and self-confidence 5. Living less on sensible feelings and more by faith 6. Having greater appreciation for the graces produced by the Spirit rather than the gifts given by the Spirit
What practical methods does Dr. Lloyd-Jones recommend for decreasing self?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones recommends several practical methods: 1. Reading Scripture prayerfully and taking time to be impacted by it 2. Reading the lives of the saints (biographies of godly men and women) 3. Meditating on the fleeting character of life, death, and eternity 4. Self-examination ("Prove yourselves, examine your own selves, whether ye be in the faith or not") 5. Realizing that our old self was crucified with Christ 6. Having the mind of Christ who "made himself of no reputation"
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the danger of living on religious feelings?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that while feelings and experiences are an essential part of the Christian life, there is danger in living on these sensible feelings. They can inflate self and lead to self-satisfaction and pride. Feelings are treacherous and unstable ("feelings come and go"). A sign of maturity is when we "live less and less on what we feel and more and more on our knowledge of Him and on our faith in Him." He quotes the apostle Paul: "We walk by faith, not by sight."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the gifts and graces of the Spirit?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that while the gifts of the Spirit are good and should be desired (as Paul says in 1 Corinthians), the graces (fruit) of the Spirit are even more important. The problem in Corinth was that Christians were living on gifts, always talking about them, and comparing themselves with one another. The apostle emphasized that love (charity) is greater than all gifts. Lloyd-Jones says it's a sign of maturity when we are "more and more concerned about the growth of the graces within us rather than the manifestation of the gifts."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize reading Scripture as the first method to decrease self?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes Scripture reading first because "ignorance is always the greatest cause of self-conceit and esteem." When we read Scripture properly, we discover the holiness of God, His law, His justice, and His righteousness. This knowledge humbles us, as it did Isaiah who cried, "Woe is me, for I am undone." The Bible reveals God's glory and our sinfulness, which naturally leads to the decreasing of self.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.