Nick Ferreiro - I'm (Not) Him

Church by the Glades. Happy Father's Day to all the dads in the building. Come on, make a little bit of noise for all the dads in the place today. We're grateful for you. Thank you for leading your homes and your families so well. For those that don't know, my name is Nick. I'm one of the pastors here. And I also happen to be a young father myself. I've got three young kids. And as a young dad that never really had his dad around, I'm ever invested in what it means to be a great father because that's what I want to be to my kids. And though my dad was never around really when I was growing up, thankfully, by the grace of God, I've had great examples to look up to. Like for example, my pastor, Pastor David Hughes. I mean, I would not be the man I am today if not for his example of being a husband, being a father, being a pastor, really just being a man. So thank you, Pastor. Come on, give a little honor to our pastor today. Thank you, seriously. Other examples like our executive pastor, one of my mentors, my role models, Pastor Raul Palacios. And honestly, even a lot of men that find themselves sitting in the seats today because whether you know it or not, I've been watching you from afar, how you lead your families,

how you lead your homes and your children so well. That's one of the things I love about the body of Christ. We can mutually encourage one another. We can mutually sharpen and instruct one another. We don't always have to be perfect or have it all together or be batting 1,000 in our faith. But when we come together as the body of Christ in unity, oh, gaps start to get filled in your life and damage gets done for the kingdom of God. Does anybody believe it today? So I'm looking to what it means to be a great dad. And as I think about being a great father, a few things come to mind. I think a great father is a guide. They are an encourager. They are a truth teller. They are loyal. They are disciplined. They are committed. They are loving. But as we seek to be great, now I'm not just talking about dads, I'm talking about all of us. As we seek to be great, I think there is an example that stands head and shoulders above the rest that we should seek to learn from. And of course, I am speaking of none other than the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks.

Oh, faithful Knicks fans, after 53 long years of waiting, you have finally entered the land that has been promised to you. New York Knicks are NBA champions, baby! And I'm gonna be honest with you, I did not see this coming. I really didn't. They were not the favorites even entering into the playoffs to win it all. The favorites to win it all were the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sorry, Pastor Scott. Well, I just didn't expect the Knicks to win it, but they just destroyed all the competition that came their way. I mean, they went 16 and three in the playoffs, and the three losses that they had, they lost by a combined total of six points. So every game they lost was super close. But watch this, the 16 games they won, they outscored their opponents by 283. Utter domination. And though there is a lot of commentary about the New York Knicks right now, there is one story that surpasses them all. The story of Jalen Brunson. Jalen Brunson. I've seen a lot of different articles and really just pieces in ESPN and SportsCenter

about Jalen Brunson. Things like how he was always counted out. Analysts thought that he was too small, that he wasn't explosive enough because he's like 6'1", didn't weigh a lot. They also thought that he could never be the leader of a team that would lead a team to the championship because he was picked so low in the draft, so they always counted him out. Or how about the fact that he took a $113 million pay cut to acquire talent from other places. Talent like OG and Anobi. Or Carl Anthony Towns or Mikael Bridges. And might I add, LeBron James could never. If you wanted to know where I stood on the goat debate. MJ's the goat. Anyways, or how about this? How about this? The fact that, this quote I've seen everywhere. Everybody's better than Jalen Brunson until it's time to be better than Jalen Brunson. Which literally just speaks to his clutch gene. The ability to show up in the big moments of the game. He was not scared of those moments. He did not shy away from those moments. He excelled and shined in those moments. But really, if you wanted to summarize the entire narrative surrounding Jalen Brunson, you could really only use two words if you wanted to. He's him.

He's him. For those that don't know, him is a designation or a title typically reserved for those who are the greatest in any category with unmatched ability. It's kind of like saying, I'm really that guy. Or I'm really that girl. You know, it's not, it could be her too. Okay, so I'm really that guy, I'm really that girl. So it's not uncommon for, after someone hitting a game winning shot in a game, for them to say, I'm him. Dads, when something breaks down in your house and you're able to say, I'm him, able to fix it with calling nobody for help, I'm him. I'm him, I'm him, I'm him, I'm him, I'm him, I'm him. Being able to reverse into a parking spot I'm him, I'm him, I'm him, I'm him, I'm him, I'm him, I'm him. or parallel park into a parking spot on the first try, I'm him. Parents, when you're able to put that newborn down without fussing or stirring and they stay asleep, I'm him. Him signifies greatness. What I've learned is we all want to be him. We all want to be her. We all want to be great. And oftentimes, we think that greatness will be displayed through our achievements, our accomplishments. We think that it will be displayed through outward splendor or success.

But as I survey the scope of scripture, I think a different definition and measure of greatness emerges. So let's talk about it. Because oftentimes, being great, we think we must be able to say, I'm him. We think being great means being able to say, I'm that guy. I'm that girl. I'm really that dude. I'm really him. Or I'm really her. But the more I study the scripture, the more I start to understand that this is not the declaration of greatness. That the declaration of greatness, which also happens to be my sermon title for today, is actually, I'm not him. I'm not her. I'm not that guy. I'm not that girl. I'm not him. And before we continue today, I think it's important to clarify, there is nothing wrong with desiring greatness. Not at all. There's nothing wrong with pursuing excellence. There is nothing wrong with trying to accomplish much on this side of eternity. The Bible actually tells us that we are to do everything as if we were working unto the Lord, not

human masters. Translation, God, in my opinion, is worthy of an excellent offering. He's not worthy of a mediocre offering, or a mediocre praise, or mediocre effort. We should work as if we were trying to please God in everything we do. He is worthy of excellent praise. He is worthy of excellent effort. He is worthy of an excellent offering. Do everything unto the glory of God. So again, I don't think there's anything wrong with desiring greatness. Time and time again in the scriptures, you see the Lord, he elevates certain people and makes them great. People like Moses. People like the Judge Deborah. People like King Solomon. So this then begs the question, I don't think the question becomes, is greatness good or bad? But what keeps us from achieving greatness in an area of our life? And I think we actually get a good picture in the book of Genesis. So in Genesis chapter 11, there are the people of the earth. They seek to build this tower that spans all the way up to the heavens, later known as the Tower of Babel.

But the purpose of them building this tower was to make their name great on the earth. And as you can imagine, the Lord was not pleased with this. So he thwarted this plan and it never happened. But the next chapter, in the very next chapter, in Genesis chapter number 12, he finds a man named Abram, better known as Abraham, the father of the faith. And he looks to him and says, I will make a great name out of you. So how about this? How about King David and King Saul? King Saul, he was named the future king of Israel. He was named the king of Israel, but then later lost the throne due to his disobedience and pride. But David, this shepherd boy who resembled nothing of a king, the people of Israel, not even his own family, thought he looked or had what it takes to be a king. He was anointed and appointed as the future king of Israel, not because of his stature or his success, but because he was a man after God's own heart. So this then proves the point that the issue of greatness is not with greatness in and of itself, but with the purpose of greatness. Why do you desire to be great? Is it to make your own name great? Or is it to make God's name great? With this in mind, with this understanding in mind, I then believe the issue of greatness boils down to trust. But not can you trust God enough in order to be great. Can God trust you enough with the greatness you desire?

If God were to grant you the platform that you've been praying for, can he trust that you will not become egotistical or self-centered? If God were to give you that wealth that you want, can he trust that you will still be kingdom minded with it? Hey, pastor, yes. What? Of course. Of course, I'll be kingdom minded with it. I want to be generous. Now, I know I haven't tithed in the last six to eight months. It's been tight in the house. And I just, I don't know what to do. But that's why I'm praying to hit the Powerball, baby. What? Because once I hit that Powerball, 10% coming right to the church. No, it's not. Don't lie. I'm not trying to call you out. I'm just trying to tell you the truth. If you cannot be trusted to do what the Lord has asked you to do with little, what makes you think God would trust that you could do it with much? It's an issue of trust. Trust. Can God trust us with what we're praying for? The influence, the platform, the wealth, the status. Can He trust us? This is the question we must ask ourselves today. And as we ask ourselves this question,

I think it's helpful to have an example to juxtapose ourselves to. So as we seek greatness, on our quest for greatness, I think who better to look to than the one that Jesus Christ himself called the goat? The greatest of all time, His cousin, John the Baptist. In Matthew chapter 11, verse number 11, Jesus speaking to a crowd of people listening to Him, He says this, He says, Truly I tell you, among those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the man that paved the way and prepared the people for their coming King and Messiah. He was a fiery preacher who really only had one message, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. And through this message of repentance, He baptized many, many, many people and then was declared the greatest of people born among women, which by the way, is everybody. He was declared great by the God of the universe. So if we truly want to be great, I think we must pay careful attention to the life of John the Baptist and then take note of what we must replicate in order to be great, which by the way, is what we're going to do today. If you've got your Bibles with you, I'd love for you to open up with me to the Gospel of John. John chapter 3 primarily will be our text for today. We're going to jump a little bit around the Gospels to study His life well, but John chapter 3 will be our main primary text that we always refer back to in our conversation. John chapter 3 will be our text. We're going to start in verse number 25. If you're ready for the word of the Lord, say, I'm ready.

John chapter 3, verse number 25. This is the reading of the word of God. 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, that was Jesus, to whom you bore witness, look, he is baptizing. And I don't know if you know, but that's like your whole thing, dude. Like you're John the Baptist. It's in the name. He's baptizing, like he's stealing your swag, bro. What are you going to do? He's baptizing, and all of the people that we once had with us 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. As we survey the life of John, I believe we begin to see this picture of what the Lord is after in us in order for us to step into the greatness as he defines it. And using John the Baptist as our example and our God, I believe a few questions emerge for our own personal reflection and consideration that will help us to determine whether or not we can be trusted with the greatness we desire. And the first question is this, can God trust me to not make it about me? Can God trust me to not make it about me? In his interaction with his own followers about the ministry of Jesus beginning, John the Baptist was presented with two options. He could appeal to his pride at his own personal followers diminishing as a result of Jesus gaining traction and taking all those followers from him, and then subsequently starting to compete with and compare himself to Jesus,

or he could remind himself that his own personal ministry of baptism was never really about him to begin with. See, one of the reasons that I believe John was deemed great by the Lord is because the Lord could trust him to know it wasn't about him. In response to his followers being concerned about their follower count diminishing, he actually then responds with this response, calling their memory to a statement he had made in a prior interaction that I am not the Christ. Now what he is referring to happens two chapters earlier in John chapter number one in a conversation with the religious leaders of that day because his ministry was gaining so much traction and it was so much buzz around the ministry of John that they came to inquire about who John was and what he was up to. In John chapter number one, verse number 19, this is what John says. This is the testimony of John. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem him, who are you? He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then are you? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Okay, well are you the prophet? And he answered, no. In other words, John is saying, I'm not him. I know you're looking to attribute the success of this ministry to someone or something, but all you need to know about this ministry and all you need to know about me is that I'm not him. I'm not the one you're looking for. I'm not special. I'm not amazing. I'm not extraordinary. I'm not him. But all these denials did not satisfy their inquiry. So in verse number 22, they said to him, who are you? Because we need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? Look at what he says. He says, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. John the Baptist was given every opportunity to brag on and brag about his accomplishments and his persona, but he didn't make it about himself. You know how easy it would have been for him to say, who am I? I am God's chosen one. I'm the

one who the prophets spoke about. I'm this remarkable character that has been raised up by God and filled with his Holy Spirit from before I was even born sent to you for your benefit to prepare you for our coming King and Messiah because all of those things are true. How often when asked who we are do we respond with the things that impress people the most? We offer up these extensive and supreme resumes that just list all of our accomplishments and our accolades because we're trying to appear impressive and be accepted by other people. Not so with John the Baptist. No, his example was an example of extreme humility. That's what we're after here today. Humility. God is looking for a humble people. It's humility. Did you see the humility in his answer? When he was asked who he was, he responded with a list of things he was not. Young person, as you're trying to discover yourself, first start by understanding who you're not. I'm not the Messiah. I'm not the Christ. I'm not the prophet. I'm not all that. I'm not self-made. I'm not called to look like that person. I'm not called to do what they're doing. I am not him. Hear me. Humility is not self-deprecation. Humility is not even denying that you have a gift or a strength. Humility is simply being honest about who you're not and then acknowledging where those gifts and strengths came from. What did John say? What did John say? Nobody can receive not even one thing unless it's given to them from heaven. Translation, anything good you see in me, it's not of me. It's from God. My ideas, they're from God. My intellect is from God. My influence is from God. My patience is from God. My purpose is from God. My wisdom is from God. My discernment is from God. My platform is from God. My faith is from God. Everything I've got is from God. It is when we stop acknowledging the gifts we have come from a perfect and holy giver that we start to slip into pride and start to make everything about us and our image and our name and our greatness and our glory. But the truth is, it's not about us. It's never been about us. We are simply vessels through which greatness can be discovered. That's what John the Baptist said, isn't it? He said, I am but a voice in the wilderness crying out, make straight the paths of the Lord. And yes, this is Old Testament

prophecy he's quoting. He's quoting the prophet Isaiah regarding the forerunner of the Messiah who would prepare the people for his arrival. So this is John saying, I am that forerunner. But can we also acknowledge the humility in this answer? I'm but a voice. I'm nothing more than a voice. I'm nothing more than a vessel. I'm nothing more than the messenger. I'm nothing more than the vehicle through which God is trying to get glory. I'm nothing more than a voice. But he who comes after me. I'm not worthy to even untie his sandals. He wants me to baptize him? No way. I'm not worthy of baptizing him. I'm but a voice. I'm nothing but a voice. But he who comes after me. He's the Word of God made flesh. His name is Jesus Christ. He's the Messiah. I'm nothing but a voice. And the voice doesn't matter. Voices come and go. But the Word of God remains and will never fail. I'm nothing but a voice. and voices don't matter, but the Word matters. The messenger doesn't matter, but the Word matters. Oh, the preacher doesn't matter, but the Word matters. The vessel doesn't matter, but the Word matters. It's not about us, it's about Him, and I'm not Him. Somebody say, I'm not Him. I'm not Him. I'm not Him, I'm not Him. I can't be, I don't deserve the glory. He does, I'm not Him. This shows me that it's not just if God can trust me to not make it about me, it goes far beyond that. But can God trust me to make it about Him? I mean, John, remember, he was approached with this question that was really a complaint from his followers about his growing, Jesus's growing influence and popularity as a result of his diminishing influence and popularity, and his response is brilliant. He responds with this wonderful analogy found in verse number 29 of John chapter three. Look at what he says. He says, the one who has the bride is the bridegroom. In other words, the one who has the bride is the groom.

The friend of the groom, the best man, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the groom's voice, rejoices greatly at the groom's presence, rejoices greatly when the groom gets the bride. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. John is likening himself to the best man at a wedding, not the groom, and in doing so, he is painting a picture of how silly it would be if the best man went through all this effort to get the groom ready for the wedding, to look at the groom and say, yo, you're looking a little messy right now. Let's go get you a fade and a lineup, okay? Let's do that. We gotta have a bachelor party, so where do you wanna go? Galilee, you wanna go to Nazareth? Wow, Bethlehem. Okay, let's go to Bethlehem for the bachelor party. Okay, now we gotta communicate between the wedding party. Where's the rehearsal dinner? Where's the venue? Let's make sure everybody's there on time. Let's make sure all the details are oriented, everything is in place, and then after all this hard work, after all this effort, how silly would it be when time comes for the bride to be given away to the groom, the best man nudges the groom out of the way

and says, that's my bride. That's nonsense. No, what John is saying is, him getting the bride, him getting the glory, him getting the honor and praise, him receiving his people is why I was placed on this earth. So he must increase, and I must decrease. Can I just tell you, your business is not about you. Your social media page is not about you. Your family, your marriage is not about you. Your influence is not for you. Your gifts and talents are not for you. Your wealth is not for you. Your very life is not about you or for you. They are simply mediums through which we can prop up the King of glory, Jesus Christ, and show him and his peace and his love and his power and his greatness to the world around us because it's not about us, it's about him. Come on, somebody say, I'm not him. I'm not him. I'm not him. You've got to stay humble. You've got to stay humble because the promise of Scripture is that if we were to humble ourselves, if we were to remain in humility, that we would be exalted, that exaltation would come our way to be great. Now, here's the catch. It's not up to us to decide how this exaltation manifests.

A lot of us think that if we were to remain humble, we would be granted positional exaltation. In other words, it's this thought that if I were to just remain humble and trust in the Lord that he would grant me greater levels of success, that he would grant me more influence, that he would, I don't know, give me that promotion I've been praying for, but oftentimes, what I've learned is it's not positional exaltation, but relational and interpersonal exaltation. Sometimes the Lord exalts you through your reputation. Sometimes he exalts you through the legacy of faith you leave behind. Sometimes he exalts you through the people he trusts you to lead. It's not always positional. It's not up to us to exalt ourselves. It's up to us to humble ourselves and allow the Lord to exalt us as he sees fit. Because, hear me, John the Baptist certainly remained humble and certainly, and he was certainly exalted. What did Jesus say? He said he was the greatest born among women. But if you know John the Baptist's story, then you know that though he remained humble and though he was exalted, he was still thrown in prison. See, if you go back to Matthew chapter 11, it's the same chapter that Jesus stated that John was the greatest to ever live, basically. But the verses that precede that actually provide the commentary that led to Jesus stating this amazing claim.

And the commentary was this. John had sent word to Jesus to ask Him a question about himself because he had found himself in a prison. Let me show you what I mean. Matthew 11, verse 2 and following says this. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, Are you the one who is to come? Or should we expect someone else? In other words, are you really the Messiah? Or did I get this wrong? Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and what you see. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. Those who have leprosy are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised. And the good news is being proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. John was in the smack dab center of God's will for his life. He was preaching. He was baptizing. He was exalting God. He was staying humble. He was giving God the glory. And yet he was thrown into a prison. Have you ever felt like you've been doing everything God asked you to do, and yet you still find yourself in a circumstance you could have never seen coming? In a real moment of discouragement and despair, locked up in a prison he did not believe he belonged in,

John expressed doubt and disappointment. Which leads us to our final question for consideration today. If you want to personally reflect on these questions, this is the last one if you want to jot it down. Can God trust me with disappointment? Can he trust me with disappointment? You see, knowing that John the Baptist had doubts and got disappointed informs me that God is not looking for me to be perfect. That God is not looking for me to be batting a thousand in my faith or never have any questions. No, I think God is just looking for me to know where to go when these feelings arise. John, he had some doubts, he expressed some disappointment, and his disappointment, much like our disappointment today, was rooted in unmet expectations. You see, John, he expected the Christ, the Messiah, to come in judgment. That's what his whole message was. To repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand, and he is going to establish his kingdom in power. He expected Christ to come in judgment. And then, on top of that, he never expected to be thrown into a prison for doing God's work. And then, even further than that, he certainly expected his cousin, who was that Messiah that he was preaching about, would bail him out of the prison he found himself in for doing his work. But at some point, he realized judgment had not come yet. There was no power play. There was no domination, just meekness. And gentleness. And grace. And he was in that prison, some scholars say a year, and he probably looked up and realized he wasn't going anywhere. So, because of this, he sent word to Jesus,

and asked, hey, are you really the one that we should be expecting, or should we be expecting somebody else? Are you really the Messiah, or are you somebody that we should just kind of push to the side and wait for the actual Messiah to come? See, I think the reason he asked this question is because his experience did not line up with what he expected. And when our experiences don't line up with what we expect, what always follows is disappointment. I thought I'd be married by now. But here I am, after yet another failed relationship, wondering if this will ever happen for me. I thought I was going to get that promotion. I thought I deserved that promotion. But here I am, passed up, looked over, jumped over again. I thought my body would be healed by now. God, I thought my body would be healed, but there seems to be no positive progress. Everything looks like it's not going to change. It doesn't look like anything is going to change for me. See, John was disappointed. So he sent word to Jesus. His faith had wavered, but he still had enough faith to go to the one he had been proclaiming. Doubt had crept into his heart, but he still had enough belief that the one who he once declared was the Messiah still had all the answers. So many of us are looking for the answers to our questions in all the wrong places.

We're looking for relief in all the wrong places. We're looking for an escape in all... the wrong places but John in his disappointment wasn't looking for something new he was just looking for confirmation of what he already knew hey are you really who you say you are can you really do what you can say you do and how did Jesus respond did he rebuke him did he scold him did he belittle him for his lack of faith no he simply gave him the confirmation he was looking for in the middle of his circumstance the blind see the lame walk the the deaf they hear the dead are being raised so yes I'm still the one that you're looking for I am the Messiah I am the Christ look no further than me sometimes the relief you're looking for is not a change in your circumstance but the relief you're looking for is a word of confirmation from God in the middle of your circumstance to hear I know it's hard but I still called you I know it's hard but I'm still with you I know it's hard but I'm still forming you I know it's hard but I've still got something going on behind the scenes and I'm still gonna work it out for your good and for my glory just trust me this is why even in your pain even in your disappointment even in your discouragement even in your despair you must send word to Jesus to talk to Jesus to open up his word and read about Jesus to get to church and spend time in the presence of Jesus because when you send word to Jesus he doesn't just confirm who he is to you he confirms who you are too Jesus reminded John that he was actually the Messiah through the works he was accomplishing but make no mistake he also reminded John of who he was in this answer you see because it's likely that because of the circumstances and difficulties he had found himself in John has started to make everything about him this is difficult so what do I feel what am I going through right now Jesus was like don't forget John it's not about you it's about me as long as people are coming to me as long as the blind see as long as the deaf hear as long as the dead are being raised what you have proclaimed is coming to pass and your circumstance and the reality you find yourself in is not experienced

in vain everything you go through and everything you do is simply a vessel through which we can give God glory so this is why through your trials and through your talents in your pain and through your platform in your suffering and in your success we must declare and proclaim the most famous words of John the Baptist recorded in all the scriptures in John chapter 1 verse 29 when he sees Jesus coming a long distance away what does he say he says behold behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in other words don't look at me look at Jesus because I may be gifted but it's because of Jesus I may have peace in this storm but it's because of Jesus I may be a great leader but it's because of Jesus I may be going through hell right now but I'm still standing because of Jesus what I've spent what I've spent 30 minutes trying to tell you is our role in this life is not to be great our role in this life is to behold to look at Jesus to look in awe and admiration to focus our attention and wonder and and worship Jesus Christ to fix our eyes on the Lamb of God who sacrificed himself for us that we might be released of the death grip that sin had on us and and and that we might be removed of the penalty that we deserve and granted a life that only he deserved Jesus is Lord yes Jesus is King yes but before we place him on the throne as our Lord we must accept him on the altar as our Lamb he did for us what we could not do for ourselves he sacrificed himself so that we might be saved behold the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world behold Jesus and everything that you go through behold Jesus and everything in your life behold Jesus through everything that you walk through and all the success and all the suffering and all the pain and all of the purpose that you do behold him and give him all the glory because I'm not him but thank God he is father we bless you thank you thank you that that you are the Messiah that you are the Christ that you are the chosen one that you are the anointed one Lord thank you thank you for the sacrifice That you made for us that we could never make on our own. Thank you for washing us white as snow Thank you for it saving us. Thank you for it filling us with the Holy Spirit God. Thank you

I pray right now that you give your people the strength to keep walking forward To keep knowing who they are in you and who you've called them to be Lord. We love you We thank you in this place. It's in Jesus great and mighty name. We pray