Billy Joe Daugherty - You Will Increase

Table of Contents

"THE LORD SHALL INCREASE YOU MORE AND MORE, YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN."

Psalm 115:14 (KJ)

Jesus Must Increase!

He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.

John 3:30

This verse contains the testimony of John the Baptist, who came to bear witness of the light, that through the lightJesus Christall might believe and be saved.

Isaiah said of John, the forerunner of Jesus Christ:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth.

Isaiah 40:3 ,4

John's mission as a forerunner was to baptize people unto repentance and to announce that the Kingdom of God was coming. He said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).

The day came when Jesus stepped on the scene.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

And John tried to prevent Him, saying, I have need to be baptized by You , and are You coming to me?

But Jesus answered and said to him, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed Him.

Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the

Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting upon Him.

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 3:13-17

John directed his own followers to become disciples of Jesus. John said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

John, as a forerunner, had pointed people to Jesus. He had a mission, and that mission was not to draw people to himself, but to point them to the Savior. When Jesus stepped on the scene and began His ministry, the job John had done came to an end. He had pointed people to the light, but now the lightJesus Christhad come.

It is Jesus who is to increase in your life. The "I" that must decrease in you is the old ungodly nature.

Increasing and Decreasing Simultaneously

When you are born again and Jesus comes into your life, do you increase or decrease? You both increase and decrease. The things of God increase, while the things of the old life decrease.

Can you remember some things that decreased in your life when you were saved, such as anxiety, a little bit of hell or a whole lot of it and sorrow? Can you remember some of the things that increased, such as joy, peace and love? How about selfishness and living for others? Did they increase or decrease? Simultaneously, when you are born again, there are some things that increase and other things that decrease.

Believers should have a decrease in the devil's work, the work of the flesh and the old life, but an increase in the Kingdom of God and His life. Can you see the validity of both increase and decrease in your life?

Every time you increase in the things of the Kingdom of God, you decrease in the things of the kingdom of darkness!

Let's focus on increase in your life, and you will see a decrease in the devil's works.

Areas of Increase

Luke 2:52, KJ

You are to increase in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man, just as Jesus did. God wants you to increase in all areas of life and godliness.

Wisdom

You ought to be wiser today than you were last week. God wants you to continually increase in wisdom. Paul prayed that "...the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom in the knowledge of Him" (Ephesians 1:17).

Solomon had much to say about increasing in wisdom. Let's look at what he had to say in Proverbs 4:5-13:

Get wisdom! Get understanding ! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you.

Hear, my son [My child], and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many.

I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.

When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble.

Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life. Stature

God wants you to increase in stature . This means more than physical growth. It means to grow in your manhood and womanhood in God so you will increase in character and in the revelation of God. It means to grow up spiritually on the inside.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive,

But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the headChristFrom whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:11-16

Favor With find and Man

You are to increase in favor with God and man.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a good example of increasing in favor, for Scripture says the angel spoke to her, "...Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" (Luke 1:28).

I believe God chose Mary, because she pleased Him. We know that without faith, it is impossible to please God. The word please is the same as "to find favor." Therefore, to increase in favor with God, you must increase your faith level. Kick doubt and unbelief out by filling your mind daily with the Word of God, for faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Then declare, "I'm going to be a believer, not a doubter; a forgiver and not a pouter!"

To increase in favor with man, strive to be at peace with all men. Proverbs 16:7 says, "When a mans ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." It's favor to have your enemies be at peace with you.

Months ago, a man said some ugly things about me. Later, he came to see me and said, "I want you to forgive me." I said, "I already have." He said, " It's sure good to hear it though." God worked on him apart from me doing anything in the natural toward him, except to pray for him, bless him and love him.

You can increase in favor with God through faith, but to increase in favor with man you must determine, "I am going to love my enemies and pray for them." God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends (Job 42:10).

While Jamie Buckingham was going through an extended illness, he said what set him free was when someone told him to pray for his enemies. He started praying, not just for enemies, but for others, and as he prayed for them, healing began a good work in his own body.

Knowledge of God

To increase in the knowledge of God overlaps into the area of increasing in God's wisdom, but we will treat it separately.