Witness

Why do we need witnesses?

In our legal system day to day, why do we need witnesses? If you were accused of committing a crime in Altoona Sunday morning May 29th at (look at the clock) how important to your defense would everyone in this room be?

Our testimony would be very important would it? Why? Because if you were here this morning and we all testify to that that means you would have to be innocent right?

What if you only had one witness and that person was also accused of the same crime? How good of a witness is that? Do you know what the Bible says about witnesses? Let’s read

Deuteronomy 17:6 ESV

6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

and

Deuteronomy 19:15 ESV

15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

and

Matthew 18:16 ESV

16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

and finally

2 Corinthians 13:1 ESV

1 This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

So why 2 or 3 witnesses? Why not just one?

What are you trying to determine with a witnesses?

The truth right? why is truth so important?

In some cases, it could mean life and death right?

We are going to see a little bit latter that the truth John is communicating is a matter of life or death. And I mean eternal life or death and you do not want to leave here not accepting the truth that John is communicating.

let’s look at our text

1 John 5:6–8 ESV

6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

So what is John saying here? What does he mean Jesus came by water and by blood. John is referring to the baptism of Jesus which was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the blood stands for what? His crucifixion which was the culmination of His ministry on earth.

Let’s read about these two events. Two of the greatest events in history.

And What is the ultimate truth John is arguing for in this letter? That Jesus is the God man right? Fully God and fully man. Remember John is writing because

1 John 2:26 ESV

26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

So false teachers came into the church to deceive them. And as I prepared I learned about a new false teaching or at least at forgot about it.

Some people were teaching that Jesus was just a regular man and they believe that the Holy Spirit came on Jesus at His baptism and then left Him before His death on the cross. That is why John says in this passage that the water and the blood testify to who Jesus was, that is God Himself. Let’s look at Jesus’ baptism

Matthew 3:1–17 ESV

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” 4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

This is one of the clearest pictures in scripture of the trinity. Some argue against the trinity because the word is not used in scripture but the picture here is clear. We have God the Father speaking calling Jesus His son and we see the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus.

Even John the baptist in this passage is referring to the sinless nature of Jesus.

What did John say his baptism was? a baptism of repentance what does that mean?

That meant you came to John confessed your sins and were baptised and that is why John tried to refuse to baptise Jesus because he knew Jesus was sinless and we know that because Jesus said He was doing not for repentance but to fulfill all righteousness that is to set the example for all of us His followers.

So in out text John is arguing that Jesus is God and His baptism is a witness to it not proof against it.

Let’s turn our attention to the crucifixion

Matthew 27:45–54 ESV

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Wow where to begin,

The first two witnesses are enough but look at the end of verse 6

1 John 5:6 ESV

6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

The third and final witness is the Holy Spirit. When you come to faith the Holy Spirit comes and dwells with in you and He gives testimony in you heart that Jesus wasn’t just a man He is God!

That is why it is so important to cultivate what the Puritans called the private means of grace. That is reading the Word of God and true genuine prayer in the secret place.

Let’s start with the importance of the Word.

Colossians 3:16 ESV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Also let’s look at

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James 1:21 ESV

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:25 ESV

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Do you see the importance of the Word of God in your growth as a believer?

Let’s turn our attention to prayer in our secret place. Listen how Jesus describes it.

Matthew 6:6–8 ESV

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Do you long to be with your Heavenly Father?

If not than ask yourself why? Do not harden your heart if the Lord is speaking to you this morning. Are you lukewarm this morning? Neither hot nor cold? Like the church in Laodicea? Look at Revelation 3:14-22

Revelation 3:14–22 ESV

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”

I want to close with the story of George Mueller. If you are not familiar with the name Listen to this brief recap of his life

Who was George Mueller?

George Mueller was not always a person of such great faith and good character. As a young boy growing up in Germany in the early 1800s, he often stole money from his dad. As a teenager, he sneaked out of a hotel twice without paying for the room. One time he was caught by police and put in jail. As a Bible college student, George loved going to bars, drinking, gambling, and being the life of the party. He also loved making fun of people, especially Christians.

One day, a friend invited George to go to an off-campus Bible study. He went only because he wanted to make fun of the Christians later. But to his surprise, he liked the Bible study. For the first time, he saw people who really knew and loved God. He attended each evening. Before the end of the week, he knelt at his bed and asked God to forgive his sins.

George's friends saw a change in him immediately. He no longer went to bars or made fun of people. He spent more time reading his Bible, talking about God, and going to church. Soon he found that his friends did not want to be around him anymore.

When George told his father that he had decided to become a missionary, his father became very upset. He wanted George to have a high-paying job and not be a poor missionary. He told George that he would not give him any more money for school. George knew he had to do what God was calling him to do, even if his dad didn't support him.

George Mueller Prayer

George went back to college without knowing how he was going to pay his tuition. He did something he thought was a bit silly for a grown man to do. He got on his knees and asked God to provide. To his surprise, an hour later a professor knocked on his door. He offered George a paid tutoring job! George was amazed! This was the beginning of George Mueller's dependence on God.

After finishing college, George was ready to begin his missionary work in London, England. But there was one problem: Germany required all healthy men to serve at least a year in the army. George wanted to get to his mission as quickly as possible; however, he became very sick. His illness was so serious that he almost died. It also made him unable to serve in the army. He was now free to go to England as a missionary.

George Mueller - Orphanage Care

George became the pastor of a small church in England. The church wanted to pay him a good salary from the money it received renting pews to rich church members who sat at the front of the church. (Poor members had to sit in the "cheap" seats in the back.) George told them that this had to stop if they wanted him to be their pastor. Even so, he did not allow the church to pay him a salary. He trusted God to meet his needs, and God did. George and his family never missed a meal and were always able to pay their rent. George began to sense, however, that God had something else for him to do.

Each day as George walked the streets, he saw children everywhere who had no mom or dad. They lived on the streets or in state-run poorhouses, where they were treated badly. George felt God calling him to open an orphanage to take care of the children.

George prayed, asking God to provide a building, people to oversee it, furniture, and money for food and clothing. God answered his prayers. The needs of the orphanage were met each day. Sometimes a wealthy person would send a large amount of money, or a child would give a small amount received as a gift or for doing chores. Many times food, supplies or money came at the last minute, but God always provided without George telling anyone about his needs. He just prayed and waited on God.

He became a man very dependent on God through prayer one of the most recalled stories on prayer is as follows

"The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat," the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in."

Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children.

George Mueller is probably one of the greatest men of prayer outside of the Bible but I learned something very interesting about him at my Pastor’s conference this week. You know he didn’t start his day with prayer. He started in the Word which lead Him to prayer.

Dear brothers and sisters my we be men and women of this book? My we give our lives to studying and applying this book to our lives? And that will drive us to become men and women of prayer.