Acts 1 8
WITNESSES TO THE WORLD
TEXT: ACTS 1:8
Objective: A witness tells what he has experienced about a given subject. God wants us to be witness of our experiences with Christ. We must do that in order to obey the great Commission.
Introduction:
1. Read Act 1:1‑11
2. Disciples wanted to know timing.
a. Do not worry about this
b. Instead, be my witnesses
3. What is a witness?
a. Evidence; testimony
b. One who saw, or can give firsthand account of something
c. One who testifies in court
d. One who observes, and attests to, a signing, transaction
e. One who will stake his life on what he has said and seen
I. Acts 1:8
ACT 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
POWER‑‑dunimis‑‑miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself): ‑ability, abundance, meaning, might(‑ily, deed), (worker of) miracle(‑s), power, strength,violence, mighty (wonderful) work. ‑‑be able or possible: ‑be able, can (do, + ‑not), could, may, might, be possible, be of power.
HOLY SPIRIT‑‑hagios‑‑from hagos (an awful thing); sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated): ‑(most) holy (one, thing), saint.
WITNESSES‑‑martus‑‑a witness (literally [judicially] or figuratively [genitive case]); by analogy, a "martyr": ‑martyr, record, witness.
UTTERMOST‑‑eschatos‑‑final (of place or time): ‑ends of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost.
EARTH‑‑ge {ghay};‑‑contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application): ‑country, earth(‑ly), ground, land, world.
YE SHALL
ACT 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
ACT 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
ACT 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
ACT 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
ACT 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
POWER, ETC OR THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST COMING UPON YOU
LUK 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
ROM 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
AND YE SHALL BE WITNESSES
ACT 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
ACT 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
ACT 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
ACT 10:39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
ACT 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
ACT 10:41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, {even} to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
ACT 13:31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
ACT 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
IN SAMARIA‑‑people who were disliked or looked down upon
Luke 18:9-14. 9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: . . . NASB 95
UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH
PSA 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
MAT 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
ROM 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
ROM 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
II. "Witness" as used in many places in the Bible
MAT 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
MAT 26:64-65. 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
LUK 24:46-49. 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
ACT 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
ACT 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
ACT 3:15-16. 15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
ACT 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
ACT 5:33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
ACT 6:13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
ACT 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
ACT 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
ACT 13:31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
ACT 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
ACT 22:20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
ACT 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
ROM 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
2CO 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
2CO 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
PHI 1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
1TH 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
1TH 2:10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
1TI 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
1TI 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
2TI 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
HEB 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
HEB 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
1PE 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
Conclusion:
1. Who are you praying for?
2. To whom are you being a witness?
3. Are we so embarrassed that we are not willing to witness?
‑‑Be ashamed of me before men
I will be ashamed of you before my father in Heaven