Testify!

Intro: What time is it? Is it time to concede or is it time to overcome? Is it time to capitulate or dig in? Time to affirm or time to confront?

This past weekend one of the great leaders of our Nation on Veteran’s day

Franklin Graham said I’m proud of my son ( An Army Ranger in our Arm Forces) and the millions of other men and women across this country who have put on the uniform and laid their lives on the line to protect our nation from evil."

One of our Great Veteran’s said on Veteran’s Day "When I see the U.S. flag being brought out in my neighborhood on Veterans Day, that is all the thanks I need."

I was listening to a Politicians advisor toward the end of this week’s election fiasco in many places and He put his finger on our current situation in our nation,

He said, “Don’t forget in the end this is a battle for the soul of America, and it’s being fought in the heavenlies.”

I. Testify Our Faith and Love vs 1-5

a. “Love of God, and Love of others especially the members of God’s family, wherever they are. Our brother our Sister is he who shares the life of Jesus, who is born of God, who believes that Jesus is Savior, Redeemer, …Our creedal statement affirms this, and our Prayers proclaim that our Worship bears witness to that, it’s more than a creedal declaration. As we gather here, there are thousands of other churches across this land and around the world, where men and women are standing up and confessing Christ in the Apostolic Creed. They stand together and recite just as we did:

II. Testify to our Belief in our Lord vs6-9

a. Faith is the basis of our victory. When we place our faith in Jesus, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:37

b. Our faith that Jesus is the Son of God makes us winners over temptations, victors over death, courageous in our pain, and hopeful in our brokenness, and disappointment, Jesus death, and resurrection changed everything!

c. The reason why the three agree is that it is the one behind the three, The Trinity is more than a concept it’s a reality just like you and me. The three form a single testimony of our Lord. God bore witness to his Son at his baptism, at his death, and now through his Spirit.

d. 1 Cor. 15:54

III. Testify to our Eternal Destination vs 11

a. This passage is the heart of the gospel. There may be no words of truth more magnificent in the Bible. They are the near equivalent of John 3:16 in terms of importance and centrality.

b. You do not become an overcomer by trying. You become an overcomer by trusting. By exercising faith. It is what…

1. • Abraham did when he went to the mountain to sacrifice his son and Heard the voice of the Universe!

2. • Peter did when he stepped out onto the water, and found the storm peacemaker as the calling voice.

3 • Joshua did when he placed his foot into the flooded Jordan River as it parted, and when he walked around a wall that crumbled before his eyes, as He responded in Faith to the Creator of the dirt for the wall!

4• Mary did when she said, “I’m your servant.” To the response of an Angelic Announcer!

None of these decisions were easy and the decisions you and I are called upon to make are also not easy. If they were we would not need faith, but our Testimony in eternity is all the proof we need.

I once heard of a captain of a ship who was describing what it was like to go through a storm. He described the ship in the midst of mountainous seas, the waves mounting on every side, and the wind blowing hard with the pitiless rain coming down. The ship seems a helpless victim of the storm, caught up in the power of these mighty elements that are raging on every side. Its doom seems sure. But he said, "I stand there on the bridge of the ship and I grasp the railing. I can feel the throb, throbbing of the engines deep down inside the hull. The storm, the wind, and the waves seem to be saying to the ship, 'You cannot come, you cannot come.' But I hear the answering throb of the engines saying, 'Yes, we shall, yes, we shall, yes, we shall.' And so we do." That is the way the battle is won. That is the way we overcome the world.

Nicole Williams, RISE UP: Believing God When the World is Falling Apart “When we intentionally praise God and offer thanksgiving to Him during a difficult time, our praise becomes our testimony.”