This is the manuscript of the sermon delivered at Christ Church on April 18, 2021.
Introduction
Matthew 16:26 NIV (says) What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Last week we read in
1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Why did Paul say this? For one thing, it isn’t easy to live for Christ in a world that doesn’t like Christ.
So here’s one of the most important questions you can ever answer: Is Christianity worth it?
Everything in life has a price tag. Anytime you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. Is the prize worth the price of following Christ?
Some people trade their souls for worldly things—like money, fame, and materialism. Your soul is worth so much more.
Here’s something else that Paul said;
Philippians 3:7-8 NIV But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Paul realized that nothing—no status, no amount of money, no pleasure—is worth more than Jesus.
Now let’s consider our text for today which comes from the scripture that Jean read earlier.
Text:
Acts 1:8 NIV But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus’ earthly ministry was now complete! He was born of a virgin, lived a blameless life, died a vicarious death, and arose from the grave with a glorified body. He had been on earth for forty days since his resurrection, and as it said in
Acts 1:3 NIVAfter his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
He was now ready to return to heaven. The Mount of Olives, just outside the eastern wall of Jerusalem, served as an ideal location from which to view the city. Jesus chose it as the place from which to give his final promise to come again and for his ascension into heaven.
Understandably, the disciples were curious about the future.
Acts 1:6 NIV Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Jesus didn’t give a direct answer to the question instead He told them as he tells us today to go out and witness to the world.
Acts 1:7-8 NIV He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Greek word used here that is translated witness comes from another noun that means martyr.
In the days of Jesus, and those that followed soon after, to be a Christian witness could mean death. In certain parts of the world, it is still dangerous to proclaim the message of Christ. In fact, to be a genuine witness is not easy anywhere.
Now certain requirements are necessary in order for a person to be an effective witness. Let’s talk about three of those requirements today.
An effective witness must know something
An effective witness must say something
An effective witness must be something
I. An effective witness must know something.
Go to a courtroom and look at a witness on the stand. What is the first requirement? A witness must be certain of the facts, or there is no need for him or her to appear in court. If the witness says, when asked a question, “I think—” the opposing attorney will immediately say, “I object, Your Honor! We are not interested in what this witness thinks. We’re only interested in what he or she knows.” The judge will then sustain the objection, because the witness must give facts,
So, what is the first qualification for an effective witness of Jesus Christ? He or she must know something! To qualify as an effective witness for Christ we must know who we believe in,
Paul said;
2 Timothy 1:12 NIV That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
As we get older we know more and more people who have died. Some have gone to be with the Lord others have not. as we grow older, the details of heaven—that is, what type of place it will be—are not nearly as important as the certainty we have that it does exist and that a place has been prepared for us there.
John 14:2-3 NIV My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
We can have a steadfast hope, which is an eager expectation, and we have extreme confidence in a home in heaven because we know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.
A good witness must know something, and we do. We know in whom we have believed and we know that we have a place with our Savior for eternity.
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| Image credit: Christ's Commission Fellowship |
II. Then a witness must say something.
Every once in a while we read of a witness coming along years after a crime who has a testimony that frees a prisoner from jail. If this person had come forth and been a witness at the trial, the prisoner may never have been convicted. This person knew facts but didn’t tell them! As a result, the prisoner was convicted unjustly.
To know about Jesus and fail to tell others is criminal! What if somebody knew the cure for cancer and kept quiet? The simple testimony that Jesus is Savior and Lord can do something that no logical argument or eloquent persuasive speech can do and that is to turn the world upside down. Our testimony as a witness to what Jesus has done in our lives can do just that.
We’ve all heard stories of tragedy in someone’s life because a message was delayed or not delivered at all. However the greatest tragedy, of all, is that many people have never been saved simply because a Christian failed to speak.
Our failure to speak up may be the only reason that person does not become saved. I wouldn’t want that on my conscience.
There’s a story about John D. Rockefeller Sr. who played golf with a close friend of his who was in the insurance business. One day the friend heard that Rockefeller had taken out a life insurance policy for one million dollars. When he saw his friend, he asked, “Why didn’t you let me write the insurance policy for you?” Rockefeller answered, “Why didn’t you ask me to let you write the policy?” I believe that a lot of people never become Christians simply because good people who know Jesus as Savior and could testify concerning him simply fail to tell a lost friend about Jesus.
Let's look at
Psalms 39:2-4 NIV So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: “Show me, Lord , my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
David was silent when he should have spoken. It is uncertain exactly what, when, and to whom he should have spoken, but he clearly missed an opportunity to speak God’s truth.
Like David, we should realize that opportunities to speak truth are precious.
III. An effective witness must know something, an effective witness must say something and an effective witness must be something.
A famous skeptic was considering Christianity at one time and in order to help make his decision he decided to live around and interact with Christian people to see what Christians were like. He is reported to have said, “These Christians will have to look a lot more redeemed before I believe in it.”
Then there is a story of Mahatma Gandhi who actually attended a Christian school and was disillusioned. He is believed to have said, “I would have been a Christian if it had not been for Christians.”
Of course we cannot always accept these kinds of comments for rejecting Christ from non-Christians as the true reason for their failure to receive Christ. But there is enough truth in those statements for us to examine ourselves and our way of life.
In the courtroom a witness may know something and say something, but if the opposing attorney has evidence that the witness is not a person of integrity, the attorney can present the facts to the court and make a plea to throw out the testimony. Likewise, all of our scripture quoting,shouting, speaking in tongues, singing and dancing will be like “sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal” unless our lives are consistent with our testimony.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Summary:
When we were born again we automatically became witnesses for Christ. One of the first signs that we have become a "Born Again Christian" will be the Holy Spirit in us prompting us to witness for him. We are witnesses by spiritual birth. Witnessing is who we are, more than what we do. We are not alone in witnessing for Christ. We have the Holy Spirit.
John 15:26-27 NIV “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
If people know you are a Christian, even if you don’t say anything, you are a witness whether you like it or not.
You may not think that you are a very good witness, but you are one, because people are watching you. The moment they know you are Christian, they are reading the value of Christ in your life by your life.
Not only are you a witness you are an ambassador for the Kingdom of God.
2 Corinthians 5:16-20 NIV So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
An ambassador is one who is sent to represent one country or government to another. While in the other country, the ambassador presents and demonstrates all the best that his or her home country or government has to offer.
When you give your life to God, you become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Philippians 3:20-21 NIV But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
The Bible says that we are at that moment, the moment we are saved we are “translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son.”
Colossians 1:13-14 NIV For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
So, the rest of your time here on earth, you’re not just here for your own plans or interests, but you’re representing Heaven to those around you. Matter of fact, you’re the only real sample of Heaven most people will ever see. What they’ll know about God’s working in peoples’ lives, they’ll get from watching YOUR life.
This means you’re not limited to YOURown resources, because you’re not out there representing yourself. Since you’re representing God’s government, and HIS abilities, you have access to all the best that He has to offer. Remember, your whole mission as a witness and ambassador is to give people a sample of what it is to have God at work in a person’s life.
Silence can be a virtue. But sometimes, God gives us opportunities to speak truth, and we must be careful not to neglect the opening to make a meaningful difference.
An effective witness and ambassador is anyone who cooperates with the Holy Spirit in telling others about Jesus. All God needs is a little cooperation from his people. When he gets it, we can change the world. God invites us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in telling others about Jesus. This is God’s job description for every Christian. If we will do our part, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit will do His.
Acts 1:8 NIV But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Don't miss your opportunity.
John 9:4 NLT We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.
Let's pray
Lord, give us discernment and humility to determine when we should speak as your witness. Give us wisdom to know what to say, and courage to say it with grace and truth.
In Jesus name
Amen
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