God's power to go on Pt. 2
Witness to the world: Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 40:15
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Are We Witnesses Today?
Are We Witnesses Today?
Witness, witnessing is a common word in Christiandome isn’t it? But are we witnesses? And if so, what are we witnesses of? Tonight as we continue our series “witness to the world” we are looking a pivotal verse that it’s meaning has importance to us, 2000 years later.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Act1:8 a linchpin between ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the apostles
Jesus just before His ascension gives these words and they are important for from the finished work of Christ is the beginning work of the Apostles and they were going to need help to carry out the commission given (Mt28:20)
Act1:8 Has promise, has instruction and has direction.
Let me put the verse back up there again and lets see the promise, instruction and direction.
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
What is the promise? what is the instruction? What is the location, direction?
The view of many, in fact it is the common view when it comes to “be My witnesses” that we are to be witnessing people in an effort to win the lost. Witness is a church word for evangelism. But, we are simply Christians studying God’s Word together so we need to see, is that a true statement? Can we be “My witnesses” like the apostles were? Can we witness like the apostles did and carry out the charge in the same manner they did?
Witness (n) 1. a person who sees an event . . . 2. Evidence, proof (Merriam - Webster)
μάρτυρας
That is the Greek word for witness; and in English we get our word “martyr” from it. It is defined as martyr, witness, deponent, attester. Over the centuries there have been many martyr for Christ, Stephen being the first noted in the Bible. He was one who was willing to lay down his life for Christ as Christ exampled being willing to lay down His life for us. A witness must be willing to suffer at any cost for their witness.
So as we look at this verse and the context in which it is used, let’s see if can answer the question. And if you forgot the question, here it is again.
Can we be witnesses today today like the Apostles?
Witnessing for Christ today
Witnessing for Christ today
Maybe we better take a few minutes and look at the common practice and justification of the type of witnessing done today and is it truly witnessing? And if so, witness of what?
Common Practice
Sharing your conversion story
This is sharing your faith, or coming to faith story, journey, your conversion and your walk of faith today. The aim of this is to be a soul winner for Jesus, that by your story others may come to faith.
Physically showing a changed life, your life before Christ and after
this is sharing convincing evidence of a changed life as evidenced by your witness, your changed life
You, encouraging others to share their story with others
This is encouraging others to share their testimony, and witness of how they were before Christ, what brought them to Christ, and the changes that have taken place since receiving Christ.
The common thread here is “you” it is not Jesus, it is your story, your thoughts, changes in you, not Jesus and what the scripture says. For we know it says in Rom10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God.” not by James words or anyone else. So, this kind of witness is not a true witness is it?
Let me take a couple of minutes and talk about
Justification for this kind of witnessing
We have our verse today, and look at the plurality listed so it maybe an easy jump.
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Look at the word witnesses, it is plural, so many take it to mean all Christians are to be witnesses. so now, really it raises more questions.
Does witnesses mean all Christians or just a few?
Be witnesses, be witness of what? Own conversion story or something else?
Witnessing in the New Testament
Witnessing in the New Testament
Who were the witnesses “for” Christ What is witnessing in the New Testament look like (Act1:1-11)
Now, as a word church, we want to look at the context so we can see the meaning as the writer Luke meant it. So look as Act1:1-11 and pay attention to the pronouns used.
(when reading this passage, emphasis each of the pronouns used)
1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Keeping to the scripture and “witnesses” is the topic, what do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
I’m fairly confident now after looking in context who the witnesses (plural) are, if any doubt let me put the proof up, just in one verse
Witnesses named (Act1:2)
2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
Let me press on and qualify it even more.
The apostles were from Galilee, other disciples are named from many other regions (Act2:9-11)
Apostles had qualifications that had to be met (Act1:21-22) disciples did not
21 “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
What were the qualifications listed here? What did they have to be a witness of?
One who had been with the apostles from the beginning starting at the baptism and present until the ascension; they were to become witnesses.
They were witnesses, not just of everything, but something, something specific as we just noted, the resurrection.
More about the witnesses (Act2:32; 3:15)
32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
and add to that one
15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.
They were witnesses of His life too (Act10:38-42)
Ah, turn in your bibles there if you would please
38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 “We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
40 “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
who were the witnesses here? what were they witness of? What was the instructions given (v.42)?
Remember the promise and the charge in Act1:8 here in Act10 now you see the fulfillment of the charge, under the power of the Holy Spirit that is they were fulfilling the charge. Now, you may have another question, if had to be there from the beginning, what about Paul? He would not qualify, would he?
Paul was a special witness (Act22:14-15)
14 “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. 15 ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
What was Paul’s charge?
Notice that in all the scriptures referenced the word “witness” was not just sed to tell about Christ, and their own experience, but witness of the resurrection of Christ.
There is a difference, distinction between the witnesses then and the witness today.
The distinction of witness
The distinction of witness
Differences, distinction between the witness of the day of Christ and the witness today about Christ.
Modern day witness provide testimony of own conversion
These are personal stories and are based on feelings that cannot be substantiated with facts.
Conversion stories can be used as a selling tool to sell people on Christ or on your belief in Christ
Modern day witness can be fabricated or exaggerated and not substantiated or proven.
Apostolic witnesses were witnesses of the resurrection
They witness of the facts and evidence (1Jn1:1-2)
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
OK detectives, what do you in facts here?
If it were not true, it would have been refuted (1Cor15:5-6)
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
Think about it, if 500 people claim to see Him, and most were still alive when this letter was written, if it were not true it would have been refuted and the whole cause of Christianity would have been debunked and died then.
The witness proved by the number of people (500) and the willingness to suffer (remember the word Martyr) for the cause, they would not be willing to suffer for a lie.
The former (witness today) is subjective and the latter (apostolic witness) provided objective biblical proof.
Distinction between purpose of witness
Modern witness - things can change
Think about a modern witness who falls from grace, they go back into the world and even deny the Christ, their witness changes doesn’t it. So the conversion story is weakened or looses all credibility and was not real in the first place. - - - pretty harsh huh?
Apostolic witness - we hold recorded evidenced history
We hold the recorded evidence, the bible in our hand, but there is much more to prove, there are over 5000 MSS copies, more than any other history recorded to prove the bible. If what the apostles witnessed as well as the 500 others were not true it would have been objected to, and it would have been subjective and not objective, and their witness was objective, they witnessed the resurrection as it lays out in the scripture
Apostolic witness is backed by lifestyle in Christ and cannot be changed
The Apostolic witness is backed by their Christ like lifestyle in which the were willing to suffer and die, shed blood for. Their witness cannot change for they are all dead and we hold their testimony in our hands.
The modern day witness is subjective for don’t we all know people who once walked in the Spirit, walked with Christ who have gone out and are no longer with us?
Apostolic witness is evidenced facts, historical facts that help us to built our foundation of faith.
Jesus own words qualified the apostolic witnesses (Jn17:20)
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
Jesus prayed for them or in this case says “these alone” that others may believe because of their words. You are the fulfillment of this prayer!
God’s power to Go on was promised, proclaimed and provided by Jesus (Jn20:22)
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
No one comes to the Father except through the Son (Jn14:6) and no one comes unless drawn by the Spirit (Jn6:44)
So just a couple more things to consider
The Spirit draws you (Jn6:44)
Spirit comes in you when baptized (Act2:38)
Spirit empowers you to do the work He has called you to do (Act1:4-8)
(encouragement slide: Be a soul winner for Christ)
We may not have the same empowering, the same witness as the apostles had. They gave us the inspired word and we have it to share that with others so that they can come to have forgiveness of sins. We can and should be soul winners for Jesus by sharing the witnesses words, the prophets words, Gods word with others.
Hopefully tonight the question has been answered “Are we witnesses for Christ and given the charge like the apostles?” - What you have today is the power of God in the Word that is able to transform the people of God to carry the Word of God to others so they may come to know God. I think you have seen the evidence
Bible is the word of God
Jesus is the Son of God
By obedient faith in Him you can have sins forgiven
And to the obedient believer you can have life and life full
(Encouragement slide 2 - life and life full) prayer (Exit slides)