Can I Get a Witness?

Pledge

Passage: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

Pray

Title: Can I Get a Witness?

ME:

Let me make a disclaimer to this message this morning ....... If you are new to the Church or you are a non-believer this message is not directed toward you.

Series: The Ministry of the Holy Spirit (Expound on the Father, Son, H.S.)

This is not saying that you should get up and leave now!

1st Week - The “Teaching Ministry”

2nd Week - The “Reminding Ministry”

I believe you will benefit from this message this morning. You will walk away knowing more about the Holy Spirit and I would like to believe you might come to know Jesus Christ through our time together.

This week we are going to look at the “Testifying Ministry” of the Holy Spirit.

PAUSE:

I don’t know if you are like me but after I accepted Christ as my Lord and savior, I remember the Pastor inviting me to go out on Visitation calls.

How many of you remember doing this?

Can I be honest with you?

I REALLY hated it!

Let me dial that back a little ......... I didn’t “Really Hate it” I just hated it! (That better?)

The Idea of going to meet complete strangers or almost complete strangers to share the gospel with them was terrifying!

Full disclosure: Most of the times it was a wonderful experience

...... but that was because the Pastor/elder did most if not all of the talking.

Transition Statement: I have to believe I am not alone on the way I felt about this?

WE:

How many of you have participated or knew of an Evangelism Program! (Explain what this is for New People)

One of them I had used at one of our churches many years ago was called “The Way of the Master.”

How many of you have participated or knew of a Door to Door visitation program!

You would go visit the new people that had attended your church the previous week.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with these programs!

We are called to share the Gospel! - “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations ...”

So it would be safe to say these programs are Biblically Mandated! (Meaning “His word tells us to do this.)

In our world today .......... The truth of the matter is ......

...... the majority of believers don’t share

...... they are not comfortable sharing

...... they feel inadequate in sharing

...... or they don’t find enjoyment in sharing

If you were like me, when I went out with my pastor to share the Gospel with people .......

....... I (personally) felt defeated, ........ joyless, ....... and POWERLESS!

Transition Statement: What I found in scripture was ........ it was telling me “there is no true witnessing without the work of the Holy Spirit.”

Let me show you what I mean .....

GOD:

Read again - “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

What we discover in this verse is it’s the Holy Spirit’s job (Ministry) to testify of Jesus.

Let’s take a closer look at this verse.

Again, what we read is that the Holy Spirit is called “Helper”

This should sound familiar from last weeks message ( “Helper”)

Same Greek word “Parakletos”

Definition: Called to someone’s aid

Holy Spirit is called to OUR aid, sent by the Father

But the phrase I want to look at this morning ....... to help us understand that the Ministry of the Holy Spirit is too also testify in regards to Jesus ....... is the phrase “will bear witness.”

It’s the Greek word “Martyreo”

Its were we get the English word “Martyr”

Occurs 16 times in the NT

Definition: to confirm/attest something on the basis of personal knowledge

It can have the sense of ......

A warning - “don’t go down this street because its closed” (Warning)

To certify - Buying a pre-owned Car (Certified Pre-Owned Inspection - 160 point)

But the one that best fits this situation is the definition - To Testify on oath!

Best example would be found in a court of Law, “I will testify of the things I had seen or heard.”

The Holy Spirit is to testify (Confirm information) on the basis of His personal knowledge of Jesus Christ.

This is the Ministry of the Holy Spirit! “To Testify of Christ”

So, to truly be able to be a witness for Jesus, Testifying POWERFULLY about the Resurrected Christ, .....

...... Supernatural power is required!

Without the Holy Spirits assistance, it is virtually impossible to testify (with confidence) about Jesus Christ.

Talk about Accepting Christ - You receive the Holy Spirit, your asking Him to come dwell in you.

Let me give you a biblical illustration of what I am talking about. (Give lead up to this story) PAINT A PICTURE

Before the day of Pentecost, the disciples were similar to many Christians today!

Rather than advancing upon the Lost world with the message of Christ, .....

..... They were hiding behind closed doors ( On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews)

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews

..... Unlike the great spiritual army they were suppose to be, they were simply “holding out” in a room, hiding for fear of the Jews.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

What we see after the HOLY SPIRIT came upon them their world was radically different!

They became courageous in the their testifying!

This came from the Holy Spirit who empowered them to testify of Jesus, regardless of any pressure/opposition

No matter how Sever!

Transition Statement: I would be safe to assume that the reason we struggle in our witness today is because of 2 things:

YOU:

Self-Sourcing

(When we try to rely on our own methods, our own wisdom, our own power, while attempting to testify of Jesus .....)

........ Our attempts Falls Short

........ We become discouraged

........ We are fearful

We no longer are witnessing ...... but we are waiting for the “So Called” right moment to witness, all the while, no longer looking for IT (the right moment).

There is nothing wrong with having an Evangelism Program ....

Intentionally sharing the Gospel with new people.

There nothing wrong with having a Door to Door visitation program ....

Visiting with people who have recently visited the church.

But if its being done by self-sourcing ...... meaning, literally trying to witness about Christ without the Holy Spirit

ITS POWERLESS!

It’s like driving an automobile without the engine! (Flintstones)

EXPECTATION WITHOUT POWER

Christ revealed to his disciples in this farewell Discourse (Ch. 13:31:-16:33)

The Father is sending the Holy Spirit to testify of Christ!

The Power of Testifying about Jesus is derived from the HOLY SPIRIT!

He qualifies and sanctifies the believers! (These are big church words ..... let me explain)

Qualifies: gives us the resources/abilities (Shelly testifying to a visitor last week: tole me she didn’t know where the words were coming from) I know!!!!! Holy Spirit!

Sanctifies: Set’s them apart!

If you are a Christian you are set apart to tell others! (Great Commission)

You mean to tell me when the right moment comes, the Holy Spirit will give me words to say to Testify about Jesus: YES!

Stuff I had never heard about before? NO!

Look at Verse 27: And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

The disciples are told by Jesus that they will Testify about Him not just because of the Holy Spirit but because “They .... have been with me from the beginning.”

They knew what Jesus had said, what he had done, what he had lived out in front of them.

This leads us to #2 ....... The reason we are struggling in our witness today is because .....

Self-Centeredness

For some people you are no longer spending time with Jesus ....

Reading the scriptures in order to know Him better.

So we can have the information needed to share the Gospel.

OR ....... For some, you are spending time reading God’s word for our own benefits!

Receive a more peaceful and problem free life.

Receive the Blessings from God.

Don’t get me wrong ..... there is nothing wrong with wanting a peaceful/problem free life. Blessings!

But if this is the sole reason we find ourselves diving into God’s word and seeking more about Him (so that it can benefit me).....

This is a text book definition of Self-Centeredness!

Jesus shared with the disciples that they are to witness (Testify) to the world about Him and the Holy Spirit will give them the power to do just that.

All they had to do was continue to spend time with Him and don’t become self-centered but Outwardly focused!

HAVE THE PRAISE TEAM COME UP

Transition Statement: Imagine what would happen in our world if all of us began witnessing (Testifying) in the Power of the Holy Spirit?

WE:

Could you imagine what this would do?

..... to our schools!

..... to our families!

..... to our kids!

..... to our public city officials!

..... to our neighborhoods!

..... to our CHURCH!

Why is this not happening ........

Maybe because we have been trying to do it on our own (Self-Sourcing)

Or maybe its because we have been been solely focused on ourselves (Self-Centered)

Statistics are telling us that we are failing to share the Gospel of Jesus and I believe the reason is because we of these 2 things:

Self Sourcing

Self Centeredness

Have you forgotten the fact that someone in your past was used by the Holy Spirit to witness to you.

Have you forgotten the fact that someone in your past was more focused on you than themselves and shared Jesus with you.

I am here to tell you this morning we have a Biblical mandate to share the Gospel to the world ......

...... the Holy Spirit will be the one in that room speaking. All you have to do is be a willing vessel.

...... the Holy Spirit will be your power to share the truth with a lost and broken world.

ALL HE IS WAITING ON IS YOU !

ALL HE IS ASKING IS “CAN HE GET A WITNESS” TODAY????????