A Biblical Understanding of Witness

Welcome/Prayer/Intro

Good Morning Church! Its good to be together AMEN?!? (Share something that blessed you or spoke to you during the service) Would you join me in prayer as we prepare our hearts for what God has for us this morning?

Prayer: Yahweh we come before you this morning, in the name of your son Jesus Christ. We come with our burdens our struggles our worries and our sins knowing that you can carry them all Jesus, you have overcome the grave you have conquered death.

Testimony Series

This morning, we are officially diving into our spring series called Testimony. In this series, We are going to focus on 3 “L”s of Testimony. We are going to be looking at the Testimony throughout the Biblical Narrative, We will be Learning about the different types of Testimony and How to share testimony with others so that we can be Living Testimonies in our community and Beyond. As we begin this series, I wanted to share why I feel the Lord is leading us in this direction for this series.

Bishop Keith Blank: Bishop Keith shared a powerful statement that really moved me.

He shared this: WE ARE NOT FULLY FORMED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS UNTIL WE ARE REPRODUCING OUR DEVOTION TO JESUS IN OTHERS (SLIDE)

I asked the Yahweh, How can we do this? Well, a great start to making Disciples is to share more about Jesus, how can we equip ourselves to share Testimony with others? Well lets start by looking at Testimony in the Bible!

Intro Questions:

What comes to mind when you think of the word witness?

Court, witnessing a crime, or maybe you have a more biblical religious thought process and you think more about witnessing like Evangelism.

When I think about myself as a witness, I have a sense of imposter syndrome, well what if I ever have to be a witness lets say its a crime will I remember everything right? Or what if Im called to Evangelize right on the spot will I say the right thing?

Well, lets turn to the Bible to see it’s witness about the Word Witness!

Walking Through the Biblical Narrative

Biblical Words for Witness

Hebrew, this person is an עֵד (eid)

Greek, a μάρτυς (mártus)

if this person begins to share what they’ve seen, we call this ‘bearing witness’: in Hebrew עוּד (uwd) and in Greek μαρτυρέω (marturéo).

In the simplest of Senses, a witness is a person who see’s something and reports it. My hope this morning as we move through the biblical texts that we can see being a Witness for God as just that.

Tracing Witness through the Biblical Narrative

Tim Mackie from the Bible project says that we can use this word witness throughout the Biblical Story. For this next section, I will be drawing from what the Bible project highlights in their podcast on Witness.

As Humans, We are created in God’s Image in many ways that means that we bear witness to God’s character and being. Simply put our existence is a witness to our creator. In many ways, like the rest of Creation We are witnesses to a Creator. But if we Look at the history of Israel, bearing witness is more than simply existing.

After God brings the people out of Egypt, listen to what he says to the people (Slide)

Exodus 19:4–6

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

The Israelites were set apart to be witnesses to the rest of the World about Yahweh. Notice how God uses the word preist here?? Why do you think He uses this word? Any Guesses?

When we think about what a priest does? a priest is a “go-between” God and the people.

This is the function of a Levitical priest, and something our catholic brothers and sisters still implement.

God is calling his people to be a people that witnesses to the rest of the world. To share what they saw Yahweh do with others so that people can be part of the witnessing community. This is how Yahweh desired the whole world to come know Him.

The Prophets speak of Being a witness to the Nations

Lets look at this passage from Isa 43:10-12

Isaiah 43:10–12

“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. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. 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.

He Calls the People to witness to several things here

to know and understand Who God is

That God is Savior

He has revealed, Saved, and Proclaimed,

That He is the only true God!

Church Were the People of Israel Good Witnesses to Yahweh?

NO! Thats where Jesus Comes in! and Isaiah actually bears witness to the coming of Jesus!

Jesus as the Chief Witness

When Jesus is teaching in the synagouge when He quotes Isa 61:1-2 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

What Jesus is saying here is that not only is He bearing Witness to the Kingdom of God, but He himself is bringing the Kingdom of God.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is called a witness over and over, in fact in John 5 Jesus says that the scriptures bear witness about HIM.

There is a powerful scene from the Chosen, of this synagoge scene, Where Jesus quotes this scripture. Jesus says he is here for salvation and the rabbi start to Get upset. Then he claims to be a prophet. The rabbi then asks him if he is claiming to be the messiah or a prophet speaking for the Lord and Jesus responds, YES.

The Rabbi then accuses him of False prophecy and quotes that the Law of Moses says a false prophet must be stoned.

The Rabbi says, if you do not renouce your words, we will have no choice but to follow the law of moses. Jesus says, “I am the Law of Moses”

It is statements like these and his actions that will get him brought before the chief preists and religious leaders to be crucified.

Jesus is crucified on the charge of False Witness in Claiming to Be the Son of God.

Stick with me on this. When the rabbi wants to stone him for false witness, he quotes Deut 18:20-22 (slide). “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”

Now Jesus, beared witness that He was the messiah, the son of God, that He would be killed and be raised back to life. That is what we celebrated. Thus, Jesus’ witness was a true! AMEN?

The Church and Our Witness!

I have been sharing that Biblical Understanding of Witness is Simply, Observing and Sharing what we saw, Well, that is exactly what happend on Easter morning. The women saw the empty tomb, and went and told the Disciples, Mary Saw the Risen Lord, and Went and told the Disciples. The role of Witness is reestablished among God’s People, We are now once again Witnesses of God’s work in the World.

Peter picks up on the same language of Exodus 19, In 1 Peter 2:9-10 (Slide)

1 Peter 2:9–10

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We are to continue the Mission of God’s People to Be a Witness to the World!

But How do we do that?

Well, We have been talking about Witnessing as Observing something and sharing it with others.

Application: Learning to Be a Witness Through Baby Steps

Illustration: Observe and Report

Now you might be overwhelmed about being a witness for God’s Kingdom, but its simple I promise we are going to practice together!

will need three volunteers. Can I have one of the Leid Children come up to help me with something. (Whisper to them). Now Church I want you to watch as they do this?

What did you see happen? Who will be a witness?

Can I have Josh, Issac, or Yamie come up next? (Run From the front to the back of the church)?

Who will be a witness? What did you see happen?

Can I have a brave adult come to the front for my final volunteer? (Go give someone sitting in the congregation a a HUG or a HIGHFIVE)

Who will be a witness?

Witness requires two things!

We pay attention to whats happening in the world around us. We have to be aware!

Then we have to be willing to share!

Challenge from STORYWORTHY

In the Book that Im reading the author challenges us to do something Called Homework for Life. Every Day Take 5 MInutes to Think about something meaningful that happend and jot it down in a few sentences.

I want us to do this every day this week, write down a moment that was meaningful in your day that is the first step to being a witness.

Share an example on the Screen. (All Glory Be to Christ)

When on the day, the great I Am, the faithful and the true, The Lamb who was for sinner’s slain, Is making all things new. Behold our God shall live with us, And be our steadfast Light, And we shall e’er his people be, All glory be to Christ.

Then, I want you at the dinner table or before you go to bed share your meaningful moment with someone! If you live alone or eat alone, I encourage you to have a partner (for example Jennifer can call Ruth or Steve can call Harry)

I want us to get in the rythum of being witnesses in the small meaningful moments of life! Then next week we are going to share some of the more meaningful moments as part of the sharing time! This is the first step to being a biblical witness, next week we will grow even more in this area!