Connect with us on facebook. 
Riverside Apr. 19, 2016
Back to Basics
Witness
Here ye, hear ye, hear ye-the Word of the Lord our God,
Jesus, 2nd person of the Trinity, spoke these words, God’s very words directly to us and we read them in Acts 1:8
But you (speaking to His followers) will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you (at Pentecost for His apostles and upon salvation for us Christians); and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
YWHW spoke His words and we read them in Isaiah 43:10
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
He repeats that very same phrase in Isaiah 43:12
I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
-we are witnesses that there is a God and that there is only 1 God
Earlier in chapter 6, Isaiah 6 sees God and we read this:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory
Holy, holy, holy, this thrice Holy God restates emphatically the THIRD time to us (in triplicate) in Isaiah 44:8 that we are WITNESESS -like saying witnesses, witnesses, witnesses -that’s what you are!
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
You are God’s witnesses; all Christians everywhere throughout the entire world and all Christians are witnesses throughout all of time and history. Yes, even you, even I, we are all witnesses of God right now, right here.
The word “witness” appears throughout the Bible and carries deep spiritual significance and responsibility. To witness means more than just seeing something happen – as in witnessing an accident and then giving your witness, your testimony of what you saw to the police officer. It’s meaning is more than that-it’s meaning Biblically is twofold;
—it means speaking to the truth; that is confirming, sharing, proving, what you have seen and experienced to others.
—it means living to the truth; that is living and acting, confirming and proving the truth we have seen and experienced in our daily lives before others.
You gotta talk the walk so others can hear. You are a witness of God.
You gotta walk the talk so others can see. You are a witness of God
Let me emphasize and amplify Isaiah 43:12
I have revealed and saved and proclaimed
I have revealed (myself to you) and saved (you from your sin to be with me forever) and proclaimed (this message is to you directly)
— I, and not some foreign god among you.
I, it is me, the great I AM, Jehovah, El Shaddai -I am speaking to you
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
You are to speak and live like my witnesses that I am truly God.
The Bible speaks about witness in several ways, including being a witness for God, the importance of truth saying about God, but also how we live our lives, showing that we know the God we speak about. Our lives reflect our words, it is our testimony before others.
But what does it really mean to be a witness according to Scripture?
Let’s explore what the Bible teaches about being a witness and how it applies to believers today.
God Calls Believers to Be His Witnesses
One of the clearest teachings in the Bible is that God calls His people to be witnesses.
A witness for Christ is someone who shares and lives the truth about God and His salvation.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples, including us
…you shall be witnesses unto me
This verse makes it clear that every believer is called to be a witness for Christ.
Being a witness is not just for pastors, missionaries, or evangelists—it is for everyone who follows Jesus.
When Jesus spoke these words, He was giving His followers a mission: to share the gospel with the world.
The Great Commission is a call to Witness
One of the most important commands Jesus gave was the Great Commission. A commission for witnesses to go and tell
In Matthew 28:19-20, He said,
Go therefore, and teach (tell, witness, testify) to all nations, ….
The Apostle Peter was hyper-aware of being a witness because he kept saying this in his preaching:
In Acts 2:32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
In Acts 3:15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
In Acts 5:32We are witnesses of these things, of Jesus death & life
And we too are witnesses of God, of Jesus, even though we haven’t seen Jesus we believe, we have experienced His life, His salvation, His peace, His joy, His truth in our lives.
In John 20:29 …Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
-and we believe in Jesus and we are so blessed.
-we are witnesses to what Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us
Do you have a witness, we often refer to this as our testimony, our story with God? If you don’t have testimony about God in your life, then start one today by believing in Christ, the One who died for your sin and rose from the dead so that you could have eternal life.
The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15 ... Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
So, what is your story, your testimony? What words would you share with others about your experience with God and does how you are living reflect the words you would speak?
Sharing with others, your witnessing to others is not easy, and, get this, living your words is harder still -KNOW THIS FOR CERTAIN -we are all saved sinners, we’re growing into being like Christ -we just haven’t arrived yet. Your witnessing to others wouldn’t be perfect -but that’s what makes it real and believable to others.
The Trouble with Witnessing
I’m afraid of what people will think?
Fear God more than man, others -try to please God.
Don’t let your pride stop you from sharing God with others
Jesus said in Mark 8:38
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them …
fear most what God thinks
note this about courage: Don’t pray for courage to speak, God doesn’t give courage He only gives assurances of His presence and help. God tells us BE COURAGEOUS, we have take it up ourselves despite our fears.
I don’t know what to say.
-me too! Rather than looking for words to say I await opportunities that God is opening for me to speak, and then I ask Him for the words.
Ask God, bullet prayer 🡪 and then be gently courageous.
I’m a hypocrite and a failure too.
You stand forgiven at the cross! All you’re sin and failures and misses are gone -washed away -under the blood! This is our sure HOPE -forgiven. It’s Christ’s righteousness that you have now but practically speaking you’re not perfect, you haven’t got everything figured out yet.
Welcome to the process of all Christians -becoming like Christ -it’s called sanctification. It’s hard, difficult and a life long journey of ups and downs.
But you still gotta tell someone else what you do know, what you have experienced in God. You still gotta be ready to give an answer to anyone asks you about God and your hope in Him.
I’ve got an unresolved problem in my life.
-welcome to the Christian life, keep going -don’t let problems stop you from speaking about what God has done for you. You are a witness of God despite all your problems.
I don’t have an interesting story to share.
The angels don’t think that -they rejoiced and sang in heaven over you because a lost sinner was saved, a precious jewel was found. It is a wonderful story, don’t belittle your life, your story, your testimony and your witness as they are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes I doubt my own salvation.
-we usually doubt our own salvation because of guilt, our own guilt about a life not being lived for God. This is Satan’s tactic to keep you down and not witnessing. Doubt, it’s terrible but doubt can be overcome with faith and following. All I can say is trust in the Lord and keep going, strive to live for God.
I’m not trained enough, I don’t know enough.
Witnessing is not a theological presentation; witnessing is telling others the truth about God that you know (remembering that God truly does exist) and living that truth in your life.
In March of 1959 I George MacDonald, fearing where my sin was leading me and knowing that if I repented from my sin and believed that Christ, God’s only Son, died for me that God would forgive me, I prayed for forgiveness and salvation. And it happened.
-it happened because others witnessed to me, they told me.
Know this: You are a witness.
My life has been perfect ever since that day-Ha, Ha -really!!
Oh, but you’re a pastor, you’re not like me-Ha, Ha -really!!
God’s statement, Jesus’ statement -you are my witnesses -this is not optional but rather a statement of fact -that is what we are.
I have prayed that every Christian hearing this message will have an opportunity to witness, to share their testimony with someone else this coming week.
So, promise me this, though you may be afraid, shy or lack words that you will be courageous and faithful to the One who called you out of darkness into His glorious light. Be a witness for Jesus.
