Playing Second Fiddle

 

This is the manuscript of the third sermon in the series "Responding to the Living Word".  

John 1:26‭-‬27 NIV “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

Most people do not like playing second fiddle. Most vice presidents dream of being the president. Most backup quarterbacks eagerly await their chance to be number one, most understudies aspire to become the star the headliner. 

At one time John the Baptist had been the one the crowds came to hear. He was the best preacher for God in all the country. And then along came Jesus. When you understand God’s plan, you can accept the role you have, whether it be first chair or second, third, or even last. You'll find that you are able operate in God in the place he has put you and that you can be effective in that place.

A link for an audio recording of the sermon is at the end of the manuscript.

You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/LVJtYQpKsOw

Scripture

John 1:6‭-‬8‭, ‬19‭-‬28 NIV There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ” Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Text: 

John 1:26‭-‬27 NIV “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

Introduction 

Most people do not like playing second fiddle. Most vice presidents dream of being the president. Most backup quarterbacks eagerly await their chance to be number one, most understudies aspire to become the star the headliner. 

The term “second fiddle” comes from the practice of having the best player of each instrument in an orchestra sit in the first-chair position while the second-best player sits in the second chair.  For instance, the best violinist plays first chair, while the second-best player sits in the second chair and plays “second fiddle” (fiddle of course is slang for a violin). 

When I was in my high school band, I was the second chair trumpet player.  Which meant that I was the second-best trumpet player in the high school band.  I was also the second chair trumpet player in the Morehouse College band.  

I wanted to be the first chair, but I wasn’t good enough.  Like many I had a tough time playing a secondary role to someone else’s first chair!  It would have been even more difficult if I had been downgraded to second chair after I had been in the first chair.  To be sure, some people delight in being the backup person, the substitute, the one who makes the leader effective in his or her work, but that wasn't me. I wanted to be first chair. 

What’s my point?  At one time John the Baptist had

been the one the crowds came to hear. He was the best preacher for God in all the country. And then along came Jesus. 

I wonder how John felt about stepping aside and pointing his disciples to Jesus?  Well we don’t have to wonder because Scripture tells us.

John 1:35‭-‬39 NIV The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

It’s no wonder Jesus could say about John the Baptist what is recorded at, 

Luke 7:28 NIV I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Remember the end of that verse “yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”  I will get back to that later.

So what was John’s secret to humbly becoming “second fiddle”?

I. To play second fiddle, you must first know yourself. 

Socrates was not a follower of Jesus but something that he said is especially important here.  Socrates suggested that the key to wisdom is to “know thyself.” 

As it said in our scripture, this morning, John was asked if he was the Christ, Elijah, or the prophet.  When he said No, those sent by the Jewish leaders asked him who he really was, and his reply is our first clue as to how he was able to play well from the second position.

John 1:21‭-‬22 NIV They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John’s response to the question “Who are you” was an intriguing one.  John said I am just a “voice”.  

John, with all his oratorical gifts, his large following, his amazing sense of the righteous call of God, said simply, “I am a voice”.  I’m not a man, I’m not a preacher, I’m just a voice. He knew his role in God’s plan for redemption.

A little bit about John.  He lived a strong and independent life. He lived in the wilderness and ate honey and locusts. He preached  boldly, in calling all Israel to repentance. 

Matthew 3:1‭-‬4 NIV In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

He was very bold in his preaching and his call for everyone to repent.   He was so bold that even a powerful man like Herod who ruled Galilee as a client state of the Roman Empire did’t stop him.  

Matthew 14:3‭-‬5 NIV Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

Great crowds gathered to hear John preach, and he baptized many people, but when Jesus came into his life, he knew that he had found his purpose for living—he was a voice preparing the way for the Lamb of God.

Luke 3:7‭, NIV John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 

‬12‭-‬16 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John the Baptist knew why he was alive, he knew who he was. 

So to be able to play second fiddle you must know and be comfortable with yourself. 

II. To play second fiddle well, you must be willing to lose yourself. 

John was able to say that he was unworthy to untie the thong of Jesus’ sandal.

John 1:27 NIV He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

He could easily say as he did in,

John 3:29‭-‬30 NIV The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

John was willing to lose himself in Jesus Christ. 

Jesus would later say that losing yourself in Him is the only way to greatness.

John 12:25‭-‬26 NIV Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

John the Baptist understood that serving Jesus was the way to receive honor from the Father.

John the Baptist was willing to lose himself, he was willing to become second fiddle, so that he might find himself; he was willing to give himself away for Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. 

In losing his life, John found it. Every Christian knows about John the Baptist because he gave up his place that Jesus might become first chair. Because he was willing to play a secondary role to Jesus, John the Baptist’s name is known and honored. 

Think about what Jesus our Lord had to say about John’s life. 

Luke 7:24‭-‬28 NIV After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Remember I told you that I would get back to the end of Luke 7:28, "yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Why is that? 

John’s faith was not less than ours, but we have received a more vivid picture of Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 2:10‭-‬16 NIV these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

So we who Jesus said, are greater than John should not be proud of being greater, but we should be humbled by it.  If we have the mind of Christ, we want to participate in and  further His ministry. 

Jesus’ ministry revolved around the theme of servanthood.   John the Baptist said he had to become less so that Jesus becomes more.  We have the mind of Christ, the mind of one who serves.  

Matthew 20:25‭-‬28 NIV Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Nothing goes more against the grain in our society than this call to be a servant. People struggle with each other to find the key to becoming the first chair, they want the invitation to the next honor. Too many of us are willing to put our foot on someone else’s neck if it will get us ahead. But Jesus said that his people must not engage in this kind of behavior. 

John 13:34‭-‬35 NIV “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We have to become comfortable playing second fiddle. 

  

You may be asking yourself if you can really deal with the idea of 

losing yourself, of playing second fiddle. Sometimes it is hard just to do God’s will anyway, but I’m talking about having to play second fiddle to another person who is as frail as you. They have faults just like you and you may have to play second fiddle to them. It’s easy to play second fiddle to Jesus, but I don’t know if I want to be second fiddle to anybody else.” 

III. Let me see if I help you with that.  You can find the grace to play second fiddle if you are willing to look for God’s plan in it.  If you are willing to look at it from. God's perspective. 

You must be willing to see God at work in your life the way that He wants to do it.  Let me give you an example.  

An evangelist had gone through an exceedingly tough time before he became an evangelist. He started out as a pastor at a small church and It had not been easy for him, but God moved him into the itinerant ministry of church-to-church evangelism.  Which meant that he traveled around from church to church preaching.  

My grandfather was an itinerant preacher in Mississippi; he had a circuit of three churches he went to each month. That was a tough job dealing with three different congregations at the same time.    After some years in evangelism, the evangelist I’m talking about was able to look back upon his earlier experience and affirm that God had taught him some things he would never have known in any other way. He felt that his experiences had taught him compassion and enabled him to minister in churches where things were sometimes difficult. 

That story itself is not so remarkable. What is remarkable is that statements like this come from Christians over and over as they look back on a difficult period in their lives.  I can personally say that that God used the most difficult times in my life, many of them self-inflicted, to shape my life today.  I can really testify.

Romans 8:28‭-‬30 NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

When you understand God’s plan, you can accept the role you have, whether it be first chair or second, third, or even last. You'll find that you are able operate in the place He has put you and that you can be effective in that place. 

Romans 12:4‭-‬8 NIV For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Conclusion 

No one is great or small in the service of our Lord, He is only concerned about our faithfulness to the work he gives us. 

1 Corinthians 12:15‭-‬27 NIV Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, you must be a servant you must be willing to play second fiddle.

By God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can play second fiddle and harmonize with the whole orchestra. 

John 13:34‭-‬35 MSG “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

Then all the world can know that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Invitation 

If you have never accepted Jesus as Savior you are not even in the orchestra.

The Bible says, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”—a complete life full of purpose (John 10:10).

But here’s the problem:

We have all done, thought or said bad things, which the Bible calls “sin.” The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The result of sin is death, spiritual separation from God (Romans 6:23).

But here's the good news

Jesus died in our place so we could have a relationship with God and be with Him forever.

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

But it didn’t end with His death on the cross. He rose again and still lives!

“Christ died for our sins. … He was buried. … He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6).

We can’t earn salvation; we are saved by God’s grace when we have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. All you have to do is believe you are a sinner, that Christ died for your sins, and ask His forgiveness. Then turn from your sins—that’s called repentance. Jesus Christ knows you and loves you. What matters to Him is the attitude of your heart, your honesty. 

Romans 10:9‭-‬10‭, ‬13 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

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