WEBVTT 00:00:00.381 --> 00:00:04.491 Well, this morning I'm going to finish this series in the month of November. 00:00:04.491 --> 00:00:18.670 I'd like you to turn it once again to the first chapter of the book of John, john's Gospel, chapter 1, and this finishes out a four-week series We've begun at the beginning of this month called "Who Is This Man? 00:00:18.670 --> 00:00:26.350 We've been looking if you're new to Trinity, we've just been looking in the first chapter of John, at who the Lord Jesus is. 00:00:26.350 --> 00:00:39.033 My prayer for the weeks that we've gone through this is that you would have, and I would have, a fresh vision of the glory and the majesty of the Lord Jesus. 00:00:39.033 --> 00:00:39.982 Is that happening to you? 00:00:39.982 --> 00:00:44.210 I hope He's becoming larger and larger on your scope. 00:00:44.210 --> 00:00:50.726 And this morning is called the Word Proclaimed, and I want to read from John, chapter 1. 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:57.929 We're going to read a lot of Scripture here at the beginning of the message and then we will comment on it. 00:00:57.929 --> 00:00:59.100 Let's begin in verse 1. 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:02.429 It's sort of summarizing where we've been for the last three weeks. 00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:07.912 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 00:01:07.912 --> 00:01:10.387 He was in the beginning with God. 00:01:10.387 --> 00:01:15.609 All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made. 00:01:15.609 --> 00:01:20.368 That was made In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. 00:01:20.368 --> 00:01:24.879 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness is not overcome. 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:26.123 Who's He talking about here? 00:01:26.123 --> 00:01:28.048 Shout it out. 00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:30.100 Jesus, verse 6,. 00:01:30.100 --> 00:01:34.230 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 00:01:34.230 --> 00:01:39.751 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light that all might believe through Him. 00:01:39.751 --> 00:01:43.691 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 00:01:43.691 --> 00:01:44.763 Who's this talking about? 00:01:44.763 --> 00:01:55.192 John the Baptist, the first Baptist in Scripture, verse 9, the true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world. 00:01:55.192 --> 00:01:58.986 He was in the world and the world was made through Him. 00:01:58.986 --> 00:02:00.912 Yet the world did not know Him. 00:02:00.912 --> 00:02:04.326 He came to His own and His own. 00:02:04.326 --> 00:02:05.911 People did not receive Him. 00:02:05.911 --> 00:02:19.766 But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 00:02:19.766 --> 00:02:21.829 And the Word became flesh. 00:02:21.829 --> 00:02:22.842 Who's it talking about here? 00:02:22.842 --> 00:02:28.330 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory. 00:02:28.330 --> 00:02:33.490 Glory is of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 00:02:33.490 --> 00:02:36.366 John bore witness about Him and cried out. 00:02:36.366 --> 00:02:46.141 This was He of whom I said He who comes after me ranks before me because He was before me Verse 16,. 00:02:46.141 --> 00:02:52.965 And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace, for the law was given through Moses. 00:02:52.965 --> 00:02:56.929 Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 00:02:56.929 --> 00:03:02.270 No one has ever seen God, the only God who is at the Father's side. 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:04.521 He has made Him known Verse 19,. 00:03:04.521 --> 00:03:06.968 And this is the testimony of John. 00:03:06.968 --> 00:03:13.610 When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask Him who are you? 00:03:13.610 --> 00:03:20.830 He confessed and did not deny, but confessed I am not the Christ. 00:03:21.331 --> 00:03:22.032 Let's stop there. 00:03:22.032 --> 00:03:32.760 I want you to imagine if you wrote or if John turned his first chapter into your eighth-grade English teacher. 00:03:32.760 --> 00:03:43.002 she would have marked it up and would have unmercifully corrected it, probably give you a D. 00:03:43.002 --> 00:03:45.263 You don't do this. 00:03:45.263 --> 00:03:56.203 When you write literature, you don't introduce somebody and right in the middle of introducing somebody, introduce somebody else and then go back and introduce somebody else and then go back and introduce somebody else. 00:03:56.203 --> 00:04:00.750 This chapter violates every rule of English grammar. 00:04:00.750 --> 00:04:09.548 He starts in verses 1 through 5 talking about the Lord Jesus and then in 6 he shifts and he's talking about John the Baptist. 00:04:09.548 --> 00:04:16.002 Then, after introducing John, he goes back in verses 9 through 18 to talk about the Lord Jesus. 00:04:16.002 --> 00:04:24.802 Then, in 19, he goes back and reintroduces John as the one who was sent to testify to the Lord Jesus. 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:35.588 Obviously, the writer of the fourth gospel was not concerned with good grammar, but he was doing something theological. 00:04:35.588 --> 00:04:37.865 Now, this is critical to grass. 00:04:37.865 --> 00:04:50.593 You see, in ancient literature, if you wanted to emphasize something, you didn't have the luxury, as we do in English, of making it bold or italics or even paragraph indentation. 00:04:50.593 --> 00:04:54.468 You didn't have any of those things in the ancient world. 00:04:54.468 --> 00:05:06.170 Instead, if you wanted to emphasize something in ancient literature, you arranged it in a certain way so that the structure itself gave emphasis. 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:16.665 With that in mind, it becomes obvious in John 1 what the structure of John's gospel is trying to say. 00:05:16.665 --> 00:05:32.911 It is simply this, and it's where we want to go this morning It is that the eternal Word, who became the incarnate Word, who was the crucified Word before the foundation of the world, is now the Word proclaimed. 00:05:32.911 --> 00:05:53.911 John the Baptist demonstrates that God always calls men and women on earth, in time and history, to proclaim the eternal Word, and this is vital for the church to grasp and never, ever forget. 00:05:53.911 --> 00:06:04.608 I think it's more vital than it's ever been in light of the negation of preaching and proclamation that we often hear about today. 00:06:04.608 --> 00:06:08.303 You've heard it, i continue to hear it. 00:06:08.303 --> 00:06:15.531 Things like well, if preaching could change the world, the world would have already been changed. 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:25.870 Or you know, there's people quoting if you read mission literature, they love a quote supposedly attributed to St Francis of Assisi. 00:06:25.870 --> 00:06:33.533 I find that interesting because he was a preacher, but supposedly he said preach the gospel and, if necessary, use words. 00:06:33.533 --> 00:06:38.771 And the inference is if you're going to preach the gospel, it's not necessary to use words. 00:06:38.771 --> 00:06:48.711 And then you have all of the emphasis today on the church being a missional people and letting unbelievers see your love, rather than preaching to them. 00:06:48.711 --> 00:06:54.271 We have been told that we are living in a postmodern world and people don't like preaching. 00:06:54.271 --> 00:07:04.685 People like people who assert, make statements that are supposedly, you know, conclusive statements of truth. 00:07:04.685 --> 00:07:10.291 We have to come to people, we are told, and we have to love them and we have to win their respect. 00:07:10.291 --> 00:07:26.793 Now I think that all of this which the missional church community is putting out has done us a great service, because it's true, it's certainly true, that we need to approach unbelievers in a certain way in a postmodern world. 00:07:26.793 --> 00:07:39.564 It is true that our lives must affirm the truth of the gospel and often, when we're trying to reach people, we have to love them and serve them before we earn the right to proclaim to them. 00:07:41.019 --> 00:08:08.949 But listen to me, this morning church, that cannot negate the fact that, when all is said and done, the gospel is news and God has determined that this news be proclaimed by heralds, men and women, men and women who have come to know the gospel powerfully and been transformed and now live to share it with others. 00:08:08.949 --> 00:08:16.581 I said this months ago in the series on the gospel the gospel is good news, it's not good advice. 00:08:16.581 --> 00:08:24.483 If it's good advice, then the church shouldn't send heralds to proclaim the word. 00:08:24.483 --> 00:08:27.795 It should send advisors to tell us how to live. 00:08:27.795 --> 00:08:46.638 And when I listen to most gospel presentations in many churches, you would think the gospel is advice because we have a lot of advisors who tell us and you know there are messages four steps to a better life, five steps to health and wealth, six steps to successful living. 00:08:46.638 --> 00:08:50.232 But the gospel is an advice, it's news. 00:08:50.232 --> 00:08:55.798 And if it's news, the church is in the business of sending advisors. 00:08:55.798 --> 00:09:06.375 The church is sending heralds, men and women who proclaim from the rooftop the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:09:06.375 --> 00:09:13.015 Now this becomes crystal clear not only in John 1, but throughout the Scriptures. 00:09:13.015 --> 00:09:28.479 Every time God wants to move almost without exception there are a few, but every time God wants to move, the first thing He does is find heralds, men to proclaim His word. 00:09:28.479 --> 00:09:36.996 Here's an example, and you know it well God wants to set Israel free from 400 years of Egyptian bondage. 00:09:37.884 --> 00:09:41.916 They've been in the clutches of slavery for 400 years. 00:09:41.916 --> 00:09:50.615 God had announced to Abraham beforehand that his predetermined purpose was to allow his people to be in bondage to Egypt and then he would set them free. 00:09:50.615 --> 00:09:55.851 But he doesn't start by sending the military, he doesn't send advisors. 00:09:55.851 --> 00:10:02.863 He comes to Moses on a mountain and he says Moses, i want to set my people free. 00:10:02.863 --> 00:10:05.831 I need you to herald it and announce the news. 00:10:05.831 --> 00:10:15.894 And if I'm Moses, i would be saying and essentially this is what Moses and his argument with God is if you want to set the people free, why are you talking to me on a mountain? 00:10:15.894 --> 00:10:27.198 And God had one word for Moses Go and announce the good news that Israel is coming out of slavery from Egypt. 00:10:27.198 --> 00:10:28.467 You are my people. 00:10:28.467 --> 00:10:29.491 I'm redeeming it. 00:10:29.491 --> 00:10:30.466 Announce it. 00:10:30.466 --> 00:10:38.111 You can fast forward several thousand years, maybe longer. 00:10:39.293 --> 00:10:42.539 To a young man named Jeremiah. 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:45.333 God says I want to do something in the nations. 00:10:45.333 --> 00:10:52.530 I want to pluck them up, i want to break them down, i want to destroy them, i want to overthrow them, i want to plant and build. 00:10:52.530 --> 00:10:53.589 So what does he do? 00:10:53.589 --> 00:10:55.210 He doesn't start there. 00:10:55.210 --> 00:11:01.894 He comes to a young man named Jeremiah And he says Jeremiah, i want to move in the nations. 00:11:01.894 --> 00:11:05.591 Okay, why are you talking to me? 00:11:05.591 --> 00:11:10.011 God touches him And here's what he says in the first chapter. 00:11:10.011 --> 00:11:16.110 First he tells him that God has known him, foreknown him and predestined him to be a prophet to the nations. 00:11:16.110 --> 00:11:17.328 And then he touches him. 00:11:17.328 --> 00:11:23.256 He says behold, i have put my words in your mouth. 00:11:23.256 --> 00:11:32.985 Go, i am doing something in the nations and I need a herald to announce it Here. 00:11:32.985 --> 00:11:41.570 Jeremiah wished he hadn't signed up because, how many know, sometimes the word is not a pleasant thing. 00:11:41.570 --> 00:11:57.847 But it is clear from these examples in the Old Testament that when God wants to move, the first thing he often does is look for heralds, men and women who will proclaim news, not give advice. 00:11:57.847 --> 00:12:03.676 Look forward another less than a thousand years. 00:12:03.804 --> 00:12:10.277 The apostles are preaching and teaching Jesus in Jerusalem and they get arrested. 00:12:10.277 --> 00:12:16.875 And while they're in jail, in the middle of the night, an angel comes, opens the prison doors. 00:12:16.875 --> 00:12:19.890 Now imagine this You've spent the whole night in prison. 00:12:19.890 --> 00:12:21.951 You don't know what's going to happen to you. 00:12:21.951 --> 00:12:29.019 You probably haven't slept, you don't smell too good And the angel lets them out of prison in the middle of the night. 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:30.586 And guess what he tells them to do? 00:12:30.586 --> 00:12:39.518 Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. 00:12:39.518 --> 00:12:43.833 And the apostles probably thought can we get a quick nap? 00:12:43.833 --> 00:12:46.068 Can we take a shower? 00:12:46.068 --> 00:12:49.490 No, the angel says go. 00:12:49.490 --> 00:12:55.154 It's urgent that you go immediately and speak. 00:12:57.065 --> 00:13:04.032 And I love this story because in the morning, when the high priest says bring out the prisoners, the guards come back with a stunned look. 00:13:04.032 --> 00:13:08.931 They say the prison is locked, everything looks the same, but the guys are missing. 00:13:08.931 --> 00:13:18.648 And then, while they're wondering what has happened, somebody brings the high priest to report And the guys you arrested. 00:13:18.648 --> 00:13:26.129 They're standing in the temple proclaiming the message you arrested them for And they bring them in. 00:13:26.129 --> 00:13:31.437 And the high priest says we strictly warned you not to preach in this name. 00:13:31.437 --> 00:13:37.798 And the apostles respond we must obey God rather than man. 00:13:37.798 --> 00:13:42.693 He told us to herald this news and we cannot shut up. 00:13:45.325 --> 00:13:59.336 But I think the ultimate statement about preaching and heralding the news of God's deliverance is probably found in the 10th chapter of the book of Romans, a very misunderstood text. 00:13:59.336 --> 00:14:01.789 Paul's talking about preaching. 00:14:01.789 --> 00:14:07.333 Why is it necessary that men and women herald the good news? 00:14:07.333 --> 00:14:24.716 And after telling us that the message of salvation is for all Jew and Gentile, rich, poor, different ethnic groups, it's for everyone, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved then he asked this question in Romans 10, 14,. 00:14:24.716 --> 00:14:33.515 How, then, will they call on him in whom they've not believed, and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? 00:14:33.515 --> 00:14:38.076 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 00:14:38.076 --> 00:14:45.118 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ. 00:14:45.118 --> 00:14:49.755 That statement faith comes through hearing is a reference to preaching. 00:14:49.755 --> 00:15:02.998 Paul is saying the only way that men and women in this dispensation can come to faith is by hearing the Word of God preached, so it produces faith in their hearts and they believe the gospel. 00:15:03.384 --> 00:15:08.716 The point is clear preaching is absolutely necessary. 00:15:08.716 --> 00:15:24.895 Now, all these verses really deal with the formal act of preaching what I'm doing right now, and God still calls men and women to stand up and proclaim the gospel. 00:15:24.895 --> 00:15:30.275 I have absolute conviction that I'm called to do that with my life. 00:15:30.275 --> 00:15:34.634 There are other men in this room called to do that, but not everybody is. 00:15:34.634 --> 00:15:44.955 But what about the majority of us sitting here who are not called to preach in a formal sense or occupy a pulpit in a church building? 00:15:44.955 --> 00:15:57.061 What part do you play in heralding the gospel, in proclaiming the eternal Word in the earth? 00:15:57.061 --> 00:16:02.897 If you go back to John 1.6, it answers that question. 00:16:03.184 --> 00:16:15.035 You and I have a very important place in the process of the gospel advancing in the earth, and it's found in a word that is very familiar to most people in this church. 00:16:15.035 --> 00:16:16.470 It's the word witness. 00:16:16.470 --> 00:16:21.076 And listen how John is introduced again in the gospel of John. 00:16:21.076 --> 00:16:26.236 It says there was a man sent from God whose name was John. 00:16:26.236 --> 00:16:34.260 He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through them. 00:16:34.260 --> 00:16:40.259 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:56.402 That word witness contains for every man and woman in this room an understanding of why God saved you and what your role is in advancing the kingdom. 00:16:56.402 --> 00:17:18.017 You see, even if you never formally occupy a pulpit as I do or others do, you and I have a critical point or a critical task where part of this gospel explosion, every man and woman is called to herald the gospel and the key word that describes who we are is the word witness. 00:17:18.017 --> 00:17:23.580 It's not only used of John the Baptist, but of Jesus himself. 00:17:23.580 --> 00:17:35.818 In fact, the noun witness is used 14 times in John's gospel alone And it's only used seven times in the rest of the New Testament. 00:17:35.818 --> 00:17:37.775 John loves this term. 00:17:37.775 --> 00:17:48.935 John sees in this term, wrapped up in this term, the entire responsibility and privilege of the Christian in the earth. 00:17:48.935 --> 00:17:52.359 In fact, jesus used this term of John the Baptist. 00:17:52.450 --> 00:17:53.151 Listen, remember. 00:17:53.151 --> 00:17:59.402 Jesus said you have sent to John and he has born witness of the truth. 00:17:59.402 --> 00:18:13.137 And Jesus also said of himself I am one who bears witness of myself and the father who sent me bears witness of me. 00:18:13.137 --> 00:18:28.281 And you remember when Jesus was standing before Pontius Pilate right before his suffering, and he said I have come into the world that I should bear witness of the truth. 00:18:28.281 --> 00:18:33.198 Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. 00:18:33.198 --> 00:18:42.076 And the ultimate statement, familiar to most of us, which we'll end with in a moment, is in Acts, chapter 1, verse 8,. 00:18:42.076 --> 00:19:08.743 As the church and it is arguably a description of the entire book of Acts is found in verse 8 of chapter 1, when Jesus, before his ascension, turned to the disciples and said you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth. 00:19:08.743 --> 00:19:15.141 And people come upon you in power and you shall be my witnesses. 00:19:16.829 --> 00:19:33.974 Now some people have pointed out something interesting, and that is that the word witness is the Greek word martyrs, from which we get our English word martyr, and some have posited the idea that the only ones who are called to witness are men and women who lay down their lives for the gospel. 00:19:33.974 --> 00:19:43.641 And I want to say there are men and women throughout church history who have been called upon to witness by laying down their life for the gospel. 00:19:43.641 --> 00:19:48.682 We prayed Norman Melissa led us a few weeks ago as we prayed for the persecuted church. 00:19:48.682 --> 00:19:55.394 If you live in China, if you live in North Korea, if you live in Iran and you witness, you take your life in your hands. 00:19:55.394 --> 00:20:11.582 I stand before you this morning and I thank God that I live in America and I thank God for this country, but it is not true that the only way to witness is to relinquish your life. 00:20:11.582 --> 00:20:11.829 Now. 00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:15.818 Anybody who witnesses takes their life in their hand. 00:20:15.818 --> 00:20:24.952 You never know what could happen, but for the most part, most of us are not going to risk our physical lives sharing the gospel in Knoxville. 00:20:28.690 --> 00:20:34.422 So witness is not limited to people who die for the gospel, though. 00:20:34.422 --> 00:20:35.871 It includes that, and we need. 00:20:35.871 --> 00:20:40.422 I'm so glad that we did have that morning where Norman Melissa led us. 00:20:40.422 --> 00:20:45.741 We need to remember our brothers and sisters in those countries who take their lives in their hands. 00:20:45.741 --> 00:20:51.152 But what about us who will probably never lose their lives physically by sharing the gospel? 00:20:51.152 --> 00:20:52.913 What are we called to true? 00:20:52.913 --> 00:21:02.554 Do We need to know that the word witness is a forensic term used in legal proceedings to prove the truth? 00:21:02.554 --> 00:21:16.670 A witness is someone who is called by an attorney to give testimony to what he or she has heard and seen, and we need to get this right Now. 00:21:16.730 --> 00:21:18.237 Listen carefully to what I'm about to say. 00:21:18.237 --> 00:21:20.173 A witness is not an attorney. 00:21:20.173 --> 00:21:28.980 Jesus actually used the word attorney of someone else. 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:31.913 Guess who it was The Holy Spirit. 00:21:31.913 --> 00:21:42.563 He called him the paracletos in Greek, and one of the translations of that word in English is advocate, counselor, lawyer. 00:21:42.563 --> 00:22:00.895 So I have some great news for everybody in here You're not the lawyer, you're not the counselor the Holy Spirit is But you and I are witnesses, which means it's not my job to get people to respond, it's the Holy Spirit's job. 00:22:00.895 --> 00:22:06.962 My job is to witness to what I've seen, what I know to be true. 00:22:06.962 --> 00:22:11.813 This is important And I've said it here before. 00:22:11.813 --> 00:22:32.983 But please get this, because that means when you say hey, i just and, by the way, we prayed last Sunday in the foyer at the coffee bar for a young man that gave his life to the Lord Jesus, after the service, and if I, jack, and I prayed for him, and if I say to you, we let him the Lord. 00:22:32.983 --> 00:22:35.380 What I really mean is I'm the last witness. 00:22:35.380 --> 00:22:37.851 The attorney called before he wrapped up the case. 00:22:42.970 --> 00:22:56.563 Now, this is critical because we have been trained I'll say I, maybe you have I've been trained improperly to bypass what witnesses really do and go right for a decision. 00:22:56.563 --> 00:23:03.499 This young man was ready, and that's often the case with some people that the Holy Spirit has prepared. 00:23:03.499 --> 00:23:22.195 But our job as a witness is not to go right for a decision, but first to help people understand the accuracy of the message of the gospel by witnessing to the truth of Christ, not just getting a person to respond. 00:23:22.195 --> 00:23:27.942 There is a time and a place, a valid place for a biblical response to the gospel. 00:23:27.942 --> 00:23:32.462 But the chief focus of a witness is not to rush to a decision. 00:23:32.462 --> 00:23:38.039 It is to give witness to the gospel properly and accurately. 00:23:40.113 --> 00:23:46.123 And I want to talk about three words that are essential to be an effective witness. 00:23:46.123 --> 00:24:01.163 Because the word, the eternal word, who became the incarnate word, who was the crucified word before the foundation of the world, now has become the word of the gospel in the church. 00:24:01.163 --> 00:24:07.163 And now God has given us the responsibility of being a witness to the truth. 00:24:07.163 --> 00:24:08.516 It doesn't matter where we live. 00:24:08.516 --> 00:24:11.971 It doesn't matter if we live in Knoxville or we live in China. 00:24:11.971 --> 00:24:14.539 We are responsible to witness. 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:15.954 What is involved in that? 00:24:15.954 --> 00:24:17.394 Let me tell you three things. 00:24:17.394 --> 00:24:22.195 Number one first, responsibility of witness, accuracy. 00:24:22.195 --> 00:24:25.161 Number two testimony. 00:24:25.161 --> 00:24:33.602 Number three enablement, accuracy, testimony and enablement. 00:24:33.602 --> 00:24:35.294 Let me start with accuracy. 00:24:37.049 --> 00:24:51.455 What often happens in gospel presentations is we are so focused on getting people to respond that we ignore or completely misconstrue or don't even mention, by playing down, certain aspects of the gospel. 00:24:51.455 --> 00:24:58.595 If you look at the history of evangelism in the Western church, we decided that repentance is not popular. 00:24:58.595 --> 00:25:00.154 Let's play that down. 00:25:00.154 --> 00:25:03.930 Let's just go right to faith, because repentance is negative. 00:25:03.930 --> 00:25:17.904 We don't want to be talking about repenting, but the chief goal of gospel witness is accuracy bearing witness to the person and work of Jesus. 00:25:17.904 --> 00:25:19.714 The Holy Spirit does the work. 00:25:20.289 --> 00:25:42.339 Our job is to be accurate in proclaiming the truth of the claims of Jesus Christ, and whenever we see witnessing in the New Testament, whenever we see the word proclaimed in the book of Acts, we see men and women testifying to the death and resurrection of Jesus as historical facts that have been corroborated. 00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:48.181 They're not running around talking about their experience and saying you all need to experience this. 00:25:48.181 --> 00:25:50.978 They are talking about one fact. 00:25:50.978 --> 00:26:02.840 You can read it in Acts again and again, and actually I wasn't entirely accurate, because they didn't even focus on the death of Christ as much as they focused on one simple historical reality. 00:26:02.840 --> 00:26:05.196 It is the basis of being a witness. 00:26:05.196 --> 00:26:06.553 He's alive. 00:26:06.553 --> 00:26:18.159 In fact, at one point one of the Roman governors is passing Paul off to another Roman official and he says there's this Jew here from Tarsus. 00:26:18.159 --> 00:26:23.133 He keeps talking about this dead Galilean and all he can say is he's alive. 00:26:23.133 --> 00:26:24.653 He's alive, he's alive, he's alive. 00:26:24.653 --> 00:26:26.015 It's just possibly L-but theExc k hachi-to Jesus is to die. 00:26:26.015 --> 00:26:36.854 Just the right one, letuning people, and these men, of course, in the book of Acts, paul included, who was untimely born. 00:26:36.854 --> 00:26:49.535 These are men who had first-hand accounts or witnessed first-hand the resurrection, and that's all they could talk about Now. 00:26:49.575 --> 00:26:54.727 By accuracy, i don't mean that you can't witness unless you get it completely right. 00:26:54.727 --> 00:26:56.078 I mean a lot of us. 00:26:56.078 --> 00:26:57.663 Jesus will use anything. 00:26:57.663 --> 00:27:00.805 I'm amazed how people get saved sometimes. 00:27:00.805 --> 00:27:06.961 It must be a work of God, but accuracy precedes testimony. 00:27:08.755 --> 00:27:10.020 The gospel is news. 00:27:10.020 --> 00:27:12.663 It's not about your experience, my experience. 00:27:12.663 --> 00:27:19.795 It's about news the incredible declaration that God now commissions the church to do that. 00:27:19.795 --> 00:27:21.741 Jesus of Nazareth died. 00:27:21.741 --> 00:27:26.224 God raised him from the dead and he sits at the right hand of the Father. 00:27:26.224 --> 00:27:31.987 He is Lord of all, and all governments, all nations are now submitted to his Lordship. 00:27:31.987 --> 00:27:33.599 He is the sovereign one. 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:44.361 Therefore, the invitation is not an invitation, it's a command Repent, change your mind and believe the gospel. 00:27:44.361 --> 00:27:56.567 Reaching is, first and foremost, testifying to facts that are unchanged. 00:27:56.567 --> 00:28:06.258 I'll never forget my year-long journey before I was regenerated, struggling in my heart with who is Jesus. 00:28:06.258 --> 00:28:17.520 If I'm going to proclaim the gospel powerfully in this age, i need to know the accuracy of the gospel so I can share it. 00:28:17.520 --> 00:28:23.223 We need to be careful never to make our personal experience the message. 00:28:23.223 --> 00:28:27.623 But the message of the gospel is simple, but it is profound. 00:28:27.623 --> 00:28:35.659 Jesus is Lord And, by the way, the message isn't you've got to make him Lord, god made him Lord. 00:28:35.659 --> 00:28:39.000 The church's declaration is repent, he's Lord. 00:28:43.595 --> 00:28:50.846 Your faith, which is a response to the gospel, is not a stab in the dark. 00:28:50.846 --> 00:28:53.176 It's not sort of. 00:28:53.176 --> 00:28:56.866 I've heard people in prayer rooms saying put your mind away. 00:28:56.866 --> 00:28:59.804 You don't need your mind in this, except Jesus with your heart. 00:28:59.804 --> 00:29:11.207 But the truth is, when you come to Jesus and believe in him, you are convinced in your mind and your heart that he is exactly what the New Testament says he is the Lord of all. 00:29:11.207 --> 00:29:13.501 That is not some stab in the dark. 00:29:13.501 --> 00:29:16.163 We have no evidence, no credibility. 00:29:16.163 --> 00:29:17.877 We're just offering, hoping. 00:29:17.877 --> 00:29:21.826 Faith is true because it's rooted in facts. 00:29:21.826 --> 00:29:24.301 Men and women saw Jesus die. 00:29:24.301 --> 00:29:30.494 They saw him rise from the dead and he's alive as the testimony of the church for 2,000 years. 00:29:30.494 --> 00:29:40.707 So the first thing we need to do if we're going to be effective witnesses is we need clarity. 00:29:41.154 --> 00:29:46.125 We're reading Colossians 4, and Paul's asking the church at Colossians to pray for him. 00:29:46.125 --> 00:29:46.747 He's in jail. 00:29:46.747 --> 00:29:48.359 Guess what he wants prayer for. 00:29:48.359 --> 00:29:52.998 I would have said pray to get me out of here, pray to let me out of prison. 00:29:52.998 --> 00:29:56.946 But Paul knew if I'm in prison, i'm under the sovereignty of Jesus. 00:29:56.946 --> 00:30:01.746 Therefore, he has work for me and listen to his prayer requests for the Colossians. 00:30:01.746 --> 00:30:21.739 Please, at the same time, pray for us that God may open to us a door for the Word to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear which is how I ought to speak. 00:30:21.739 --> 00:30:23.742 Look at Paul. 00:30:23.742 --> 00:30:24.585 I can't believe it. 00:30:24.585 --> 00:30:25.207 He's in prison. 00:30:25.207 --> 00:30:33.546 If I was in prison and I'm writing a letter to Trinity, i have two requests First, pray that I get out of here and if that doesn't happen, pray for the food. 00:30:33.546 --> 00:30:34.155 It's terrible. 00:30:36.295 --> 00:30:41.928 I am not thinking about gospel witness, but Paul knew he lived under the Lordship of Jesus. 00:30:41.928 --> 00:30:43.580 Some of us need to learn what that means. 00:30:43.580 --> 00:30:51.344 And he said if right now, under the Lordship of Jesus, i'm in prison, i'm asking for a door for the Word right here. 00:30:51.344 --> 00:31:04.946 And then he says and not only am I praying for a door for the Word, but please pray for clarity So when I open my mouth, i might make it clear which is how I ought to speak. 00:31:04.946 --> 00:31:09.038 So I have a question for you Is that your prayer? 00:31:09.038 --> 00:31:13.602 Two things Are you praying right where you are? 00:31:15.075 --> 00:31:20.587 I'll never forget asking a guy who worked in a factory What are you doing right now? 00:31:20.587 --> 00:31:21.960 And he'll never forget his response. 00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:22.622 He just looked at me. 00:31:22.622 --> 00:31:24.660 He said well, i'm working in a factory. 00:31:24.660 --> 00:31:25.784 And he looked real forlorn. 00:31:25.784 --> 00:31:28.280 And then he said but I'm looking for the will of God. 00:31:28.280 --> 00:31:32.480 And I remember thinking what are you on hold? 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:40.362 It's like the factory couldn't be the will of God, it had to be something else ministry. 00:31:42.954 --> 00:31:58.403 But what would happen if every one of us witnesses in this room started realizing that, right where we are, in our neighborhoods, in our jobs, in our schools, in our relationships, god has a door for the Word. 00:31:58.403 --> 00:32:03.919 Right where I am, house churches Listen to this house churches. 00:32:03.919 --> 00:32:14.826 Right where you are, wherever your house church meets, in whatever neighborhood or in relationships through the members of the house church, there's a door for the Word. 00:32:14.826 --> 00:32:17.859 What did Jesus say in the Sermon on the Mount we should be doing? 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:22.249 He said don't knock. 00:32:22.249 --> 00:32:24.741 He said wait for Jesus to knock on your heart. 00:32:24.741 --> 00:32:30.661 Right, i'm worried because some of you aren't sure. 00:32:30.661 --> 00:32:38.769 No, he said knock and the door shall be opened. 00:32:38.875 --> 00:32:41.221 Are you knocking for opportunities for witness? 00:32:41.221 --> 00:32:44.098 See, there's two extremes. 00:32:44.098 --> 00:32:47.143 One extreme is I'm not knocking. 00:32:47.143 --> 00:32:50.401 If Jesus wants to use me, let him knock on my door. 00:32:50.401 --> 00:32:53.428 That's a wrong attitude. 00:32:53.428 --> 00:32:54.759 I had the second problem. 00:32:54.759 --> 00:32:55.583 I didn't have that problem. 00:32:55.583 --> 00:33:00.195 I had this problem No one's home. 00:33:00.195 --> 00:33:02.682 So, in the name of Jesus, i ripped the door off its hinges. 00:33:02.682 --> 00:33:07.782 I'm going to witness whether God's opened the door or not. 00:33:07.782 --> 00:33:11.884 How many of you have ever bow guarded your way into a witnessing scenario? 00:33:11.884 --> 00:33:13.298 God didn't open. 00:33:13.298 --> 00:33:20.654 But the right posture is exactly what Colossians 4 says Knock. 00:33:20.654 --> 00:33:22.060 Don't rush in and break the door. 00:33:22.060 --> 00:33:24.281 Don't sit back and wait for Jesus. 00:33:24.281 --> 00:33:26.541 The church is always knocking. 00:33:26.775 --> 00:33:33.580 I want to ask you house churches, are you guys knocking saying give us opportunity for gospel witness? 00:33:33.580 --> 00:33:46.088 And then the second thing we should be asking for is not only knocking for doors to open for the word, but praying what Paul did, that I might make it clear which is how I ought to speak. 00:33:46.088 --> 00:33:51.422 Lord, give us clarity, help us to explain the gospel. 00:33:51.422 --> 00:34:03.166 And, by the way, in a religious culture such as ours, where people know religion but don't know Christianity, there is clarity that is needed for us to open the door. 00:34:03.166 --> 00:34:06.303 We need clear speech so people get the message. 00:34:07.375 --> 00:34:10.724 Accuracy is not a religious thing where you go to a building once a week. 00:34:10.724 --> 00:34:16.585 It's a living relationship with a living Lord who is now in control of the entire universe. 00:34:16.585 --> 00:34:21.523 The second word accuracy. 00:34:21.523 --> 00:34:24.402 Number two testimony. 00:34:24.402 --> 00:34:31.126 Is there a place in our witness for personal testimony? 00:34:31.126 --> 00:34:35.655 The answer, of course, is certainly There is. 00:34:37.755 --> 00:34:48.701 Jesus Christ has changed us in a significant way is often used by God to draw others into an interest in the gospel. 00:34:48.701 --> 00:34:52.025 That's why, by the way, because testimony is effective. 00:34:52.025 --> 00:35:04.306 That's why and this is statistically proven, i can show it to you, but it makes sense that's why new believers, for the most part, are the ones who bring new people to Jesus in the local church. 00:35:04.306 --> 00:35:05.358 Can anybody know why that's true? 00:35:05.358 --> 00:35:10.144 Why new believers, significantly, are the ones who bring people to faith. 00:35:10.144 --> 00:35:12.179 I'll give you two reasons. 00:35:12.179 --> 00:35:12.902 There's probably more. 00:35:12.902 --> 00:35:16.059 Number one they're the only ones that still have old friends. 00:35:16.059 --> 00:35:24.679 You know, i get saved and within a year. 00:35:24.679 --> 00:35:37.199 I remember when I got saved, they gave me a 14-foot Thompson Chain Bible, had me cut my hair, put on a nice dress shirt and I didn't have to give up my friends. 00:35:37.199 --> 00:35:38.402 They ran from me. 00:35:38.402 --> 00:35:40.900 I mean, they stayed away. 00:35:40.900 --> 00:35:44.797 This guy's weird, seriously. 00:35:44.797 --> 00:35:59.179 So new believers constantly bring people to the faith because they're the only ones who have old friends And number two, they're the ones who still have a living and fresh testimony of what Jesus is doing. 00:35:59.454 --> 00:36:14.608 I remember the days immediately following my conversion I know it was true for Steve and true for others in this room When we first had Jesus touch our lives, i couldn't think of anything. 00:36:14.608 --> 00:36:20.864 I couldn't imagine a day going by When I didn't talk to someone about Jesus. 00:36:20.864 --> 00:36:36.382 And I remember when and here's what happened to me I was in junior college when I got saved my first year And I would show up at eight in the morning for my first class and start sharing the gospel outside of the school in Miami, and I'd look at my watch and it was noon. 00:36:36.382 --> 00:36:37.699 I missed every class. 00:36:37.699 --> 00:36:48.661 I wasn't trying to miss my classes, i just opened my mouth and started sharing the gospel And every day I looked at my watch it was noon, i missed my classes. 00:36:48.661 --> 00:36:52.358 I remember going to my assembly of God pastor and saying what do I do? 00:36:52.358 --> 00:36:56.362 I'm sharing the gospel day and night and I'm missing all my classes. 00:36:56.474 --> 00:36:57.900 He said I think you're called to the ministry. 00:36:57.900 --> 00:37:03.246 A wise, a wise assessment. 00:37:03.246 --> 00:37:08.119 Accuracy is first. 00:37:08.119 --> 00:37:09.804 Testimony has its place. 00:37:09.804 --> 00:37:19.336 We are men and women who've been transformed by the gospel Two times. 00:37:19.336 --> 00:37:22.797 Paul gave personal, three times an ax that we can record. 00:37:22.797 --> 00:37:33.262 He told his account of how he was on the Damascus road minding his own business, killing Christians, and Jesus showed up and interrupted his life. 00:37:33.262 --> 00:37:48.304 We have to be careful, though, when we make testimony personal testimony the main way we convey the gospel Because if we're not careful, we can subtly convey to people. 00:37:48.304 --> 00:37:53.842 I want my experience to be yours, and it may not be exactly the same. 00:37:53.842 --> 00:38:02.724 Be careful, when you give personal testimony, not to set it up so that you give people the impression that they will experience the same thing as you did. 00:38:02.795 --> 00:38:21.963 I'll never forget, years ago, going to a city for ministry in North Carolina and having the church pick me up at the airport and tell me the following story There was a restaurant in town very prestigious restaurant and the restaurant was going out of business. 00:38:21.963 --> 00:38:32.442 The business was failing and Christians got ahold of the owner and told him if he came to Jesus, his restaurant would be saved. 00:38:32.442 --> 00:38:34.681 That's what they promised him. 00:38:34.681 --> 00:38:35.577 He did. 00:38:35.577 --> 00:38:45.663 He responded to the gospel and when I got there weeks later, his business was in worse shape and he was offended with Jesus because he signed up to save his business. 00:38:45.663 --> 00:38:48.000 Well, i got news for you. 00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:52.780 Maybe they didn't discern that he needed to lose his business because he's a covetous man. 00:38:52.780 --> 00:38:54.838 Could that ever occur? 00:38:54.838 --> 00:39:01.543 Jesus told the rich young ruler sell everything you have, give it to the poor and follow me. 00:39:01.543 --> 00:39:07.664 There are some people that if they're gonna follow Jesus, they don't need to get more, they need to lose more. 00:39:07.664 --> 00:39:12.039 That's popular. 00:39:12.039 --> 00:39:20.815 Now maybe somebody before him came to Jesus and their business was saved. 00:39:20.815 --> 00:39:26.757 And maybe the guy said this is a great gospel If you're losing your business, come to Jesus, he'll save it. 00:39:26.757 --> 00:39:28.543 He might, but he might not. 00:39:30.155 --> 00:39:33.726 The message is never my experience needs to become yours. 00:39:33.726 --> 00:39:39.581 The message is always about belief in Jesus and accuracy about his person. 00:39:39.581 --> 00:39:40.757 Now, don't get me wrong. 00:39:40.757 --> 00:39:48.164 Testimony is powerful, but don't ever give the impression that everyone's experience will be the same. 00:39:48.164 --> 00:39:52.041 And finally, the third word. 00:39:52.041 --> 00:39:57.202 I love this word enablement X-1A. 00:39:57.202 --> 00:40:09.286 But you shall receive dynamite, dunamis, power, dynamic power. 00:40:11.856 --> 00:40:13.635 Brothers and sisters, i'm gonna make a statement. 00:40:13.635 --> 00:40:16.222 Please let it settle in your hearts. 00:40:16.222 --> 00:40:17.085 It is critical. 00:40:17.085 --> 00:40:35.106 We must always keep at the forefront of our minds that the ultimate reason the Holy Spirit is given for the church is for mission, for supernatural enablement to proclaim the gospel to an unbelieving, anti-christ world. 00:40:35.106 --> 00:40:46.226 The Holy Spirit wasn't given to me primarily to make me feel better, to give me goosebumps, but to empower me to share the gospel with others. 00:40:46.226 --> 00:40:57.460 And we will never know power like we should unless we're involved in being missional, in advancing the kingdom and sharing the gospel in word and deed. 00:40:59.114 --> 00:41:05.164 There are two ideas associated with X-1A, with the power to enable us to do this. 00:41:05.164 --> 00:41:09.246 Number one you shall be witnesses. 00:41:09.246 --> 00:41:12.878 This is a life thing. 00:41:12.878 --> 00:41:16.864 Those who focus on the being witnesses are right. 00:41:16.864 --> 00:41:25.682 Before we do witness, we be witnesses As the Holy Spirit has filled our lives and we live lives full of the Holy Spirit. 00:41:25.682 --> 00:41:31.681 We don't just proclaim, we are men and women who live the gospel before people. 00:41:31.681 --> 00:41:40.123 A few weeks ago I had lunch with Pedro and he brought a friend to me from Guatemala named Tito. 00:41:40.123 --> 00:41:46.603 I was so impressed with this brother and I'm hoping that we as a church can relate to him in the future and what he's doing. 00:41:46.603 --> 00:42:19.003 He's doing a work in Guatemala, but he wisely said that what their philosophy is instead of just going to an area for a week or two, they focus on an area of the country and they go there over a consistent matter of years, serving them with medical missions, serving them with construction, and over the years, the people in this region are so blown away by their caring and their sharing and their love that it opens an opportunity for gospel witness and people get saved. 00:42:19.003 --> 00:42:24.346 You shall be my witnesses. 00:42:24.434 --> 00:42:35.864 It is true that when we're trying to reach neighbors or fellow workers, we may not immediately start with proclamation but with affirmation. 00:42:35.864 --> 00:43:00.521 I want you to think, and I want the house churches to really think, about all the people in your neighborhood where your house church meets or through relationship with your members The loneliness, the depression, the marriages that are breaking up, the struggles people are having with children and with sickness. 00:43:00.521 --> 00:43:03.384 Just think of all that around you. 00:43:03.384 --> 00:43:07.402 And it's before it becomes simply. 00:43:07.402 --> 00:43:10.884 I need to burst into somebody's life and proclaim. 00:43:10.884 --> 00:43:19.454 He may call you to burst into somebody's life and affirm the gospel by building a loving relationship and saying how can we serve you? 00:43:19.454 --> 00:43:20.793 And this church is doing that. 00:43:20.793 --> 00:43:28.307 I thank you so much for your response to Sturkey Elementary and all the baskets and what we are doing. 00:43:28.307 --> 00:43:30.695 It's part of being a missional people. 00:43:30.695 --> 00:43:38.675 But secondly, when Jesus said these words, you shall receive dunamis power. 00:43:38.675 --> 00:43:56.182 He was telling us that the ultimate purpose of the Holy Spirit coming to our lives is that we can live the Christian life, because apart from the Spirit it is impossible to live the Christian life. 00:43:56.182 --> 00:44:08.081 But one primary reason we have received the Holy Spirit is we must be made bold if we're going to speak the gospel in our age. 00:44:08.081 --> 00:44:11.864 In Ephesians 6, 18, listen to what Paul says. 00:44:11.864 --> 00:44:17.463 Even Paul felt his need for this And he says this as he's closing out the Ephesian letter. 00:44:17.463 --> 00:44:45.349